At 1557 GMT, the rand traded at 14.3225 against the dollar, roughly 0.7% weaker than its previous close.
The dollar was 0.5% stronger against a basket of peers, moving away from a near-one month low hit last week after a surprisingly soft jobs report.
In recent weeks the rand has mainly tracked global drivers including shifts in the outlook for the Federal Reserve's monetary policy, shrugging off domestic data releases.
On Tuesday, the statistics agency said the economy grew 1.2% in the second quarter compared to the previous three months, versus forecasts for 0.7% growth. A sectoral breakdown painted a mixed picture, with industries like communications and agriculture expanding but finance and construction contracting.
Central bank data showed net reserves rose to $55.67 billion in August, boosted by an increase in holdings of special drawing rights.
Johannesburg-listed shares rose marginally, but local indices lost some ground after the U.S. market opened as Wall Street slipped on worries over the slowing pace of economic recovery.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange's All-share index ended the day up 0.39% at 66,515 points and the Top-40 index ended at 60,341 points, up 0.51%.
After a massive fall the previous day, scandal-hit retailer Steinhoff International rose by almost 8% as investors digested news that its $1.7 billion settlement proposal with creditors and claimants had received the desired 75% approval.
Shares in the country's largest grocery retailer Shoprite Holdings rose 2.6% after the company recorded a 20% jump in annual earnings.
(Reporting by Alexander Winning and Promit Mukherjee; Editing by David Gregorio)
