Johannesburg - South Africa would not be able to escape an
escalated European crisis unscathed, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on
Thursday, adding its direct economic exposure to the countries affected was
reasonably low.
The rand touched a near two-month low of R7.002/$ on Monday
and government bonds have also fallen this week as investors dumped riskier
assets on worries about debt problems besetting some eurozone countries.
“South Africa’s direct economic exposure to those countries
affected by current market turmoil is reasonably low,” Gordhan said in an
opinion piece published in Business Day.
“The greater risk for South Africa is the potential for
contagion that results in a prolonged and expanding crisis in Europe and
undermines global growth significantly.”
As a small, open economy, South Africa would be hit by
troubles in Europe, Gordhan said, but the government had increased its foreign
exchange reserves as protection against global shocks to the economy.
“In an extreme crisis, the government is in a position to
use these funds, although the liquidity implications of doing so would also
have to be considered,” he wrote.
South Africa fell into recession in 2009 as a sharp fall in
global demand hit the key mining and manufacturing sectors.
The recovery remains sluggish, and for that reason the majority of economists polled by Reuters expect the Reserve Bank to hold off increasing interest rates later on Thursday, despite rising inflation.