At 1538 GMT, the rand traded at 19.0750 against the dollar, over 0.3% stronger than its previous close.
The rand had weakened earlier this week on mounting worries over the health of China's economy.
The dollar last traded around 0.02% weaker against a basket of global currencies.
The rand was little moved by Statistics South Africa data showing the country's retail sales fell 0.9% year on the year in June after declining by a revised 1.6% in May. Analysts polled by Reuters expected a decline of 0.2% year on year.
"Consumers remain financially constrained dealing with elevated living costs, high interest rates and accordingly lower purchasing power," Investec analyst Lara Hodes said in a research note.
Retail sales have contracted in annual terms every month since December 2022, with rolling power blackouts a contributing factor.
Shares on the South African Stock Exchange fell, with the blue-chip Top-40 index ending 1% lower. South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond was marginally stronger in early deals, with the yield down 1 basis point to 10.345%.
(Reporting by Tannur Anders and Bhargav AcharyaEditing by Alexander Winning and Barbara Lewis)
