South African stocks rose 0.84 percent on Thursday as the rand's fall to its weakest in nearly five years boosted media firm Naspers, furniture maker Steinhoff and other companies with overseas operations.
Adcock Ingram edged up in active trade, finishing at 70.75 rand, just above the offer price of 70 rand from suitor Bidvest.
The benchmark Top-40 index advanced 0.84 percent to 39,587.66.
The broad All-Share index gained 0.71 percent to 44,297.66.
The rand fell to 10.5395 to the dollar, its weakest since March 2009 after it broke through key technical levels.
Naspers rose 3.6 percent to 989.71 rand. A weaker rand lifts earnings when profits from abroad are brought home.
Steinhoff gained 2 percent to 40 rand.
Trade was light, with just 152 million shares changing hands.
South Africa's rand breached 10.5000 against the dollar on Thursday, touching its weakest level in nearly five years as investors dumped riskier assets in anticipation of a slowdown in U.S. central bank asset purchases.
The rand hit a session low of 10.5395 per dollar, the softest it has been since March 2009, before coming back to 10.4350 by 1605 GMT, 0.14 percent off its previous close.
Government debt also weakened, with the yield on South Africa's 2026 bond ticking up one basis point to 8.47 percent. At the shorter end of the curve, the 2015 benchmark closed 3 basis points higher at 6.34 percent.
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