The South African rand was little changed on Friday as investors awaited details of President Cyril Ramaphosa's telephone call with his U.S. counterpart President Donald Trump on bilateral trade.

Slapped with a steep tariff, South African officials hope for a deal, but some worry the U.S. may insist that it roll back measures that redress the damage of apartheid.

Although some analysts and trade experts have called for a unified African response to Trump’s tariff assault, there has so far been no sign of one, either from the African Union (AU) or elsewhere.