South Africa's rand firmed in early trade on Thursday, recouping some of its recent loss as investors took a breather after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an immediate 90-day tariff pause for many countries.

The South African rand gained ground against a weaker dollar on Friday, but analysts said it remained susceptible to twists in the global trade war and the risk that South Africa’s coalition government might split.

Washington's 90-day pause on higher tariffs is of little comfort to southern African economies facing the collapse of a preferential trade deal and a 25-percent hike on car imports, analysts