THE DEMAND FOR IMPORTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: AN EXPLORATORY REVIEW.

This paper looks at the effects of historical trade policy reforms and other determinants in South Africa over the period 1995-2012. We discovered that over the reported period, the demand for imports in South Africa had been increasing with only a few downturns in between. South Africa’s merchandise imports are dominated by manufactured imports; and they accounted for more than half of the total merchandise imports over the reported period. One of the key contributors towards the improved performance of imports in South Africa is the trade liberalization policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]