South African rand to British pound (ZAR/GBP)
The rate both ways — computed through the dollar, since both currencies are quoted against it — plus how far each has moved against the dollar this year and what that does to a JSE return counted in British pounds. Same snapshot as every other figure on this site.
The rate, both ways
reference rate, 28 Aug 2026, 00:02 UTCMid-market reference rate — the midpoint between buying and selling. No bank, broker or bureau will quote you exactly this figure; the note under the converter below says how wide that gap can run.
This year, against the dollar
since JanuaryThe rand has strengthened 2.5% against the dollar this year — it takes 2.5% less of it to buy a dollar than it did in January.
The pound has strengthened 0.5% against the dollar this year — it takes 0.5% less of it to buy a dollar than it did in January.
Put together, the rand has gained ground on the pound this year. We do not put a single figure on the cross move: the two series above are collected independently against the dollar, and composing them would claim more precision than they have.
Why this rate matters on the JSE
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange quotes its 439 listings in rand — nothing on it trades in British pounds. But for anyone counting their wealth in British pounds, this cross-rate is exactly what turns a rand return into what they actually received, and on this market the currency’s move is routinely as large as the return it is applied to.
See the Johannesburg Stock Exchange page for its listings and index, or Africa vs World for every index here adjusted to dollars the same way.
Convert
reference rates, 28 Aug 2026, 00:02 UTC1 ZAR = 0.046020 GBP
These are mid-market reference rates — the midpoint between buying and selling. No bank, broker or bureau trades at the midpoint, and on thinly traded African currencies the spread you are offered can be several percent wide. Treat this as the yardstick, not as a quote. Where a country operates exchange controls, the official rate may also differ from the rate at which currency can actually be obtained or repatriated.
What a return is actually worth
local currency → dollarsA +40.0% return in ZAR was worth +43.6% to a dollar investor this year.
The ZAR strengthened 2.5% against the dollar since January, which adds 3.6 points to the headline figure.
Computed as (1 + 0.400) ÷ (1 + -0.025) − 1. Subtracting the currency move instead is the common shortcut and it overstates the result — here it would give +42.5%.
Every currency we price in
6 markets · 3 reference| Currency | Market | Per $1 | vs $ this year |
|---|---|---|---|
| BWP | BSEBotswana | 13.585 | +0.3%weaker |
| EGP | EGXEgypt | 50.247 | +5.3%weaker |
| NGN | NGXNigeria | 1,340.0 | -8.3%stronger |
| UGX | USEUganda | 3,703.8 | +5.0%weaker |
| XOF | BRVMUEMOA (8 countries) | 563.0 | +2.1%weaker |
| ZAR | JSESouth Africa | 15.989 | -2.5%stronger |
| CNY | Reference only | 6.737 | -3.9%stronger |
| EUR | Reference only | 0.858 | +1.4%weaker |
| GBP | Reference only | 0.736 | -0.5%stronger |
“Weaker” means it now takes more of that currency to buy a dollar than it did in January — so a return earned in it is worth less to someone holding dollars. This is the single largest reason a headline return on an African market and the return an overseas investor actually received are different numbers.
Every pair we publish
11 pagesAgainst the dollar
naira to dollar (NGN/USD) · rand to dollar (ZAR/USD) · Egyptian pound to dollar (EGP/USD) · CFA franc to dollar (XOF/USD) · pula to dollar (BWP/USD) · shilling to dollar (UGX/USD)
Crosses
naira to pound (NGN/GBP) · rand to euro (ZAR/EUR) · Egyptian pound to euro (EGP/EUR) · CFA franc to euro (XOF/EUR)
Or start from the currency converter, which holds every rate in one table.