Pretoria, 30 September 2020 – The South African Revenue Service (SARS) today releases trade statistics for August 2020 recording a trade surplus of R38.87 billion. These statistics include trade data with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN). The year-to-date (01 January to 31 August 2020) trade surplus of R134.05 billion is an improvement from the R4.14 billion deficit for the comparable period in 2019. Exports increased by 8.8% year-on-year whilst imports declined by 20.7% over the same period.
The R38.87 billion trade surplus for August 2020 is attributable to exports of R130.22 billion and imports of R91.35 billion.
