The trading relationships between South Africa and Africa over the last 18 years, has been made available through tralac which shows exactly who our biggest African trade partners are.
Interesting stats in the synopsis (click here) show SADC has remained the main export market for SA; in 1996 the SA’s trade with Africa was 9% of its total trade and in 2013, 14% of South Africa’s total trade with the world was in Africa.
Growth in South African imports from Africa between 1996 and 2013, was dominated by mineral products (86%) whilst growth in SA exports into Africa in the same period was driven mainly by machinery (24%), base metals (15%) and transport equipment (15%).
The synopsis should be read in conjunction with the following spreadsheet (click here) which contains the following data:
• South Africa’s total trade and trade balance with all African countries, by country;
• Total South African imports from and exports to all African countries, by country;
• South Africa’s imports from and exports to all African countries at the HS4 level;
• The trade record for SADC, COMESA, and the EAC; and
• The top 20 African exports to South Africa and the top 20 African imports from South Africa at the HS4 level, by country for all African countries.
The trade statistics have been updated for the period from January 1996 to December 2013 inclusive. All the data is expressed in US dollars and is sourced from the Global Trade Atlas.
About tralac
tralac is a capacity-building organisation developing trade-related capacity in east and southern Africa. Adopting an inter-disciplinary approach, tralac aims to enhance the trade law and policy capacity in this region. tralac works with governments and non-state actors; these include private sector and civil society organisations.
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