South Africa's rand firmed against a weaker dollar early on Wednesday, as investors awaited President Cyril Ramaphosa's national address on Thursday and closely watched developments between the U.S. and China.

Trump’s comments waded into a sensitive racial issue and deepened already sharp divisions between the United States and South Africa.

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South Africa's rand edged higher on Tuesday as markets digested U.S. President Donald Trump's changing tariff stance. At 1518 GMT, the rand traded at 18.68 against the dollar, about 0.2% stronger than Monday's close.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will cut all funding to South Africa and has launched an investigation of the country’s polices, claiming a “massive” human rights violation is happening over a new