According to data released by the South African Revenue Service (SARS), in April this year the value of South Africa's exports of base metals and articles thereof totaled ZAR 11.43 billion ($876.5 million), up 1.5 percent from March. In the first four months of this year, South Africa's export value of base metals and articles thereof decreased by 1.7 percent year on year to ZAR 44.3 billion ($3.4 billion).
In April of the current year, the country's imports of base metals and articles thereof amounted to ZAR 4.93 billion ($378.06 million), increasing 5.4 percent from the previous month, while in the January-April period of this year South African imports of base metals and articles thereof fell by 6.7 percent year on year, amounting to ZAR 19.72 billion ($1.5 billion).