DocumentClosedpublication
Tax Court of South Africa publication
Tax Court of South AfricaRef: https://www.sars.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/Docs/TradeStats/2026TradeStats/May7724/Trade-Statistics-May-2026.pdf
Official source
Source domain: sars.gov.za
Collected on 13 July 2026
Always confirm details on the official source before acting.
What this means
This document is a South African preliminary international trade statistics release for May 2026, including figures for exports, imports, and the trade balance, with and without BELN (and cumulative figures for January to May 2026). It provides month-on-month and year-on-year percentage growth comparisons, plus category-level notes (e.g., machinery & electronics, vehicles & transport equipment, mineral products) showing increases/decreases. It also states a methodology: the monthly export and import figures are unaudited figures based on declarations by exporters and importers, with cursory checks before publication and adjustments mainly due to audits and correction vouchers for previous months.
Facts
Reference
https://www.sars.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/Docs/TradeStats/2026TradeStats/May7724/Trade-Statistics-May-2026.pdf
Amounts
R 178 831 092 207, R 180 621 580 151, R 163 117 150 364
Key Takeaways
- Document title: SA Preliminary Trade Statistics for May 2026 (Including BELN)
- Period covered: May 2026 (Preliminary) and April 2026 (Revised)
- Also includes cumulative figures: January to May 2026 (Preliminary) vs January to May 2025 (Revised)
- Trade balance (Including BELN) for May 2026: R -1 790 487 944
- Exports (Including BELN) for May 2026: R 178 831 092 207
- Imports (Including BELN) for May 2026: R 180 621 580 151
- Trade balance (Excluding BELN) for May 2026: R -10 548 496 883
- Exports (Excluding BELN) for May 2026: R 163 117 150 364
- Imports (Excluding BELN) for May 2026: R 173 665 647 248
- Methodology: figures are unaudited declarations; cursory checks before publication; adjustments mainly from audits and correction vouchers
- South Africa