South Africa's rand was flat in early trade on Wednesday, with mounting pressure on the country to ink a trade pact with the United States before Washington's August 1 deadline.

At 0705 GMT the rand traded at 17.8550 against the dollar, little changed from its previous close.

South Africa's trade minister said on Tuesday it was still committed to negotiating a trade agreement, days before a 30% levy on its exports to the US is due to kick in on Friday.

The country is still awaiting a response on its offer which includes buying US liquefied natural gas, simplifying rules for US poultry imports and investing $3.3-billion in US industries including mining.

The dollar last traded softer against a basket of currencies as traders eyed a rate decision from the world's largest economy which could give clues on the Federal Reserve's trajectory.

South Africa's central bank is due to announce its rate decision on Thursday, when another 25-basis-point cut is expected by economists polled by Reuters.

South Africa's benchmark 2035 government bond was stronger in early deals, as the yield fell 3.5 basis points to 9.785%.