At 1605 GMT, the rand traded at 19.2300 against the dollar, around 0.17% stronger than its previous close.

South Africa narrowly avoided a recession in the first quarter, data showed, with manufacturing and finance holding up relatively well despite crippling power cuts.

Both the quarterly and annual growth rates were in line with economists' forecast in a Reuters poll.

Nedbank economists said in a note that the first-quarter modest rebound will likely be short-lived as rolling power cuts intensified in the second quarter, disrupting operations, increasing production costs and hurting profits.

"These pressures, combined with the downturn in global growth and commodity prices, will hurt production and exports even further in the quarters ahead," Nedbank added.

The South African economy is being crippled by the worst rolling blackouts on record, leaving businesses and households in the dark for up to 10 hours daily.

After the release of GDP figures, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it supported the implementation of the government's energy transition plan and emphasised the importance of fiscal support for affected communities and workers.

"Resolving the ongoing energy crisis remains the top priority, providing an opportunity to accelerate the rollout of renewables," the IMF said in a statement.

On the stock market, the Top-40 and the broader all-share indexes closed around 0.3% higher.

South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond was stronger in afternoon deals, with the yield down 15.5 basis points to 10.965%.

(Reporting by Tannur Anders and Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Bhargav Acharya, David Evans and Ed Osmond)