The South African rand was little changed in muted trade on Tuesday even after the release of a positive purchasing managers' index survey as investors continued to wait for tariff updates ahead of the United States' August 8 deadline.

United States reciprocal tariffs have put an estimated 30,000 jobs at risk, South African authorities said Monday, four days before a 30% U.S. tariff on most imports from South Africa kicks in.South Africa was slapped with one of the highest tariff rates by its third-largest trading partner — after the European Union and China — creating uncertainty for the future of some export industries and catapulting a scramble for new markets outside the U.

The South African rand strengthened against the dollar on Friday, erasing earlier losses after a key report showed the US labor market cooled sharply over the past three months.