According to data released by the South African Revenue Service (SARS), in July this year the value of South Africa's exports of base metals and articles thereof totaled ZAR 13.11 billion ($872 million), down 5.1 percent from June. In the January-July period of this year, South Africa's export value of base metals and articles thereof increased by 5.7 percent year on year to ZAR 84.8 billion ($5.64 billion).
In July of the current year, the country's imports of base metals and articles thereof amounted to ZAR 5.32 billion ($354 million), increasing by 16.8 percent from the previous month, while in the first seven months of this year South African imports of base metals and articles thereof declined by 2.2 percent year on year, amounting to ZAR 33.65 billion ($2.24 billion).