This increase may seem quite moderate compared with the gains registered in some earlier years of the postwar period; however, at a time when the working-age population is expanding relatively slowly and unemployment is already low, this economic growth is appreciable indeed.
The SARB’s primary objective reads, “to protect the value of the currency in the interest of balanced and sustainable economic growth in the Republic”. Moreover, “in pursuit of its primary object, [the SARB] must perform its functions independently and without fear, favour or prejudice, but there must be regular consultation between the Bank and the Cabinet member responsible for national financial matters”.