JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's private sector expanded at its fastest pace in nearly four ​years in April, as ⁠sales and output rose amid supply concerns linked ‌to the Iran war, a business survey showed on Wednesday.

The S&P Global ​South Africa Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 51.6 in April from 50.8 ​in March. The ​50-mark separates growth from contraction.

"Some comments from survey panellist suggested that the rise was helped by safety stock ⁠building as companies anticipated increased headwinds from the Middle East conflict, implying that the uplift in growth may be temporary," said David Owen, senior economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Output growth ​quickened to ‌an 11-month high, ⁠extending the current ⁠expansion to four months. New orders rose for the first time in ​three months, and the increase was ‌the strongest in just over one-and-a-half years.

Export ⁠sales also picked up at the fastest pace since July 2023, helped by new client wins and stronger demand from markets including Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, S&P Global said.

However, cost pressures intensified sharply mainly due to a weaker rand currency and higher international oil prices.

South Africa is a net importer of petroleum products and is heavily ‌exposed to fluctuations in global energy prices.

Supplier delivery ⁠times lengthened, as freight schedules were disrupted by ​the war.

Business expectations improved for the first time in five months, supported by strong sales pipelines, new product launches and export ​opportunities.

But firms ‌remained cautious due to rising inflation pressures and ⁠wider geopolitical tensions, the ​survey said.