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Mozambique is South Africa’s largest African trade partner, with exports reaching nearly R120-billion in 2024. According to the South African Revenue Service, it ranks among the top five destinations for South African exports. Key goods include chromium ore (26%), ferroalloys (17%), iron ore (8.5%), coal (7%), electrical energy (5%), and cleaning products (2%), along with motor vehicles, corn, cereals, and soya beans.
Trade with Mozambique has grown significantly over the past 14 years, rising from just R13.8-billion in 2010 to nearly R120-billion in 2024. While Mozambique leads among African trade partners, it still lags behind global export destinations such as China (R220-billion), the United States (R157-billion) and Germany (R154-billion).
South Africa’s other major African trade partners are, unsurprisingly, its immediate neighbours: Botswana (R78.9-billion), Namibia (R70.4-billion), Zimbabwe (R69.2-billion), and Zambia (R55.6-billion).
On the import side, Nigeria is South Africa’s largest African source, with imports totalling R46.7-billion in 2024 – comprising almost exclusively crude petroleum, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.