South Africa's central bank struck a measured tone after its first rate cut in more than four years on Thursday, saying although inflation had fallen faster than expected there were still risks to the outlook.

The South African Reserve Bank will likely lower interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday, despite a larger-than-expected overnight move by the Federal Reserve as it turns the screws on inflation.

The SA Reserve Bank cut the repo rate by 0.25 basis points today, the first time South Africans have seen a rate cut in four years. While the cut was welcomed, some say it should have been by 0.5 basis points and believed the SARB acted too conservatively.

The South African rand held onto early gains on Thursday following the South African Reserve Bank's (SARB) decision to cut interest rates for the first time in over four years, after a super-sized interest rate cut by the U.

South Africa’s real, inflation-adjusted interest rates reached the highest level in 19 years after price pressures cooled, but that’s unlikely to embolden the central bank to cut borrowing costs by more than a quarter point.

The South African Reserve Bank has announced a 25 basis point repo rate cut on Thursday. This is the first interest rate in four years. This cut comes as a relief to many South African consumers. The 25 basis cut was predicted by many economists.

South Africans can loosen their belt a tiny bit this month as the SARB has decided finally to cut the interest rate.