South African rand gains on weaker dollar but tariff concerns linger

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The South African rand gained against a weaker dollar on Wednesday as traders ruminated over last week's weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data, while awaiting tariff updates before Washington's deadline.

At 1451 GMT, the rand traded at 17.80 against the dollar ZAR=D3, roughly up 0.5% on Tuesday's close.

This week's major focus for South Africa is whether it can negotiate a better trade pact as it faces a 30% duty on goods exported to the U.S., the highest rate among Sub-Saharan African countries.

The dollar =USD last traded 0.3% weaker against a basket of currencies as investors held back from making big bets, still reeling over the disappointing July employment report but also on the look out for U.S. President Donald Trump's decision on appointments to the Federal Reserve.

Trump on Tuesday said he would soon announce a short-term replacement for Fed Governor Adriana Kugler, who announced her resignation on Friday, as well as his pick for the next Fed chair.

"The USD is losing its exceptionalism and is steadily finding itself on the defensive, allowing other currencies to make up lost ground," ETM Analytics said in a research note.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange's Top-40 index .JTOPI was up 0.5% and the wider All-share index .JALSH up 0.4%.

South Africa's benchmark 2035 government bond ZAR2035= was little changed as the yield rose half a basis point to 9.68%.