According to data released by the South African Revenue Service (SARS), in August this year the value of South Africa’s exports of base metals and articles thereof totaled ZAR 11.62 billion ($674.59 million), down 22.2 percent from July. In the January-August period, South Africa’s export value of base metals and articles thereof went down by 20.3 percent year on year to ZAR 115.55 billion ($6.71 billion).
In August, the country’s imports of base metals and articles thereof amounted to ZAR 7.85 billion ($455.72 million), decreasing by 9.4 percent from the previous month, while in the first eight months of 2025 South African imports of base metals and articles thereof moved down by 3.3 percent year on year to ZAR 64.32 billion ($3.73 billion) compared to the same period of 2024.