Changes in net gold and other foreign reserves are identified separately for analytical purposes. The balance of payments is a statistical statement that systematically summarizes, for a specific time period, the economic transactions of South Africa with the rest of the world. Included are all identifiable economic transactions between residents of South Africa and nonresidents involving a change of ownership. Unidentified differences in coverage, timing, and valuation of external transactions are shown as unrecorded transactions. In cases, where the exact transaction dates are unknown, the average rate for the shortest period applicable is used.
Transactions are, where possible, valued at market prices at the time that legal ownership changes.
The sources of data for transportation are reports from SARS, transport operators, and other organizations involved in these transactions. The sources of data for travel are periodic surveys conducted by the South African Tourism Board and questionnaires completed during the buying and selling of foreign exchange. Data on insurance are obtained from transport operators and questionnaires completed by the insurance industry, while data on royalties and license fees are obtained from sample surveys and exchange records of authorized dealers in foreign exchange. The sources of data for other services are quarterly surveys conducted by the Research department of the SARB and foreign exchange records of foreign exchange dealers. Data on government receipts are derived from foreign exchange transactions records and data on government payments are derived from information provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs.