JOHANNESBURG - The rand has been the second worst-performing emerging market currency, losing 1.75 percent of its value against the US dollar.
The rand was stronger for the second half of last year after the formation of the government of national unity.
But that was not enough to sustain the rand's strength indefinitely without real levels of economic growth.
The local unit is now being dragged by a stronger US dollar which gained momentum after the world's biggest economy recorded that its labour market added an 256,000 jobs in December.