{"id":834882,"date":"2025-08-13T12:54:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T10:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=834882"},"modified":"2025-08-13T12:54:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T10:54:42","slug":"calm-before-the-storm-for-businesses-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/834882\/calm-before-the-storm-for-businesses-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Calm before the storm for businesses in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South African business confidence climbed to a four-month high, signaling a better operating climate, although uncertainty from US President Donald Trump\u2018s tariffs threatens to reverse the gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A measure of sentiment compiled by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry rose to 116.7 in July from 113.2 in the previous month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The index averaged 118.6 in the first six months of the year, 7.7 points higher than a year earlier, Sacci said in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The improved reading was because of an increase in new-vehicle sales that boosted manufacturing output, as well as lower inflation and rising global prices for precious metals that the nation produces, the chamber said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While domestic business confidence has stabilized, uncertainty stemming from US tariffs may hamper sentiment, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US imposition of a 30% tariff on goods from the country \u201ccould have unintended and austere consequences for the South African economy and for longer-term business relations,\u201d Sacci said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven South Africa\u2019s open economy, with 32% of output being exported, it remains obligatory that all global economic and business relationships be fostered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump applied varying duties on trading partners on 7 August, with South Africa\u2019s the highest in the sub-Saharan region after the two nations failed to agree to a bilateral trade deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The levies are a threat to South Africa\u2019s automotive and agriculture sectors and to gross domestic product in the continent\u2019s most industrialized economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As many as 30,000 jobs are at risk, according to the trade department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sacci noted that economic growth could improve if trade negotiations lead to a predictable tariff framework. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNegotiations should support business and investor confidence, predictability, and sustainability prior to other considerations,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South African Trade Minister Parks Tau on Tuesday said the country\u2019s negotiation team was ready to submit a revised offer to the US in the hope that Washington will reduce the 30% tariff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South African business confidence climbed to a four-month high in July, but US tariffs threaten to reverse these gains in the months to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":767161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[1889,1744],"class_list":["post-834882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-business-confidence","tag-sacci"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=834882"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":834884,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834882\/revisions\/834884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/767161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=834882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=834882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=834882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}