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.

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.

U.S. 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 China and the EU — creating uncertainty for the future of some export industries and catapulting a scramble for new markets outside the U.