SA’s economy grew in the first quarter, which did not yet fully reflect the impact of the Middle East conflict, which started with a US-Israel attack on Iran on 28 February. Ijubaphoto/Getty Images For more financial news, visit News24 Business. South Africa’s economy grew by 0.5% in the first three months of 2026 compared to the previous quarter. This was stronger than expected. Economists polled by Reuters forecast GDP growth of 0.3% quarter-on-quarter.