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 12.70 billion ($745.97 million), down 6.2 percent from March. In the January-April period, South Africa’s export value of base metals and articles thereof went down by 12.8 percent year on year to ZAR 53.58 billion ($3.15 billion).
In April, the country’s imports of base metals and articles thereof amounted to ZAR 7.83 billion ($460.19 million), decreasing by 1.2 percent from the previous month, while in the first four months of 2026 South African imports of base metals and articles thereof moved up by 0.5 percent year on year to ZAR 31.36 billion ($1.84 billion) compared to the same period of 2025.