SOUTH Africa’s business confidence index fell in April bringing the decline over the past two months to 7.3% on domestic economic and political jitters, the SA Chamber of Business said on Tuesday. The measure, a composite index tracking the performance of 13 key economic indicators, fell to 102.5 points after spiking to a high of 110.6 in February, the chamber’s chief executive Kevin Wakeford said in a statement. The BCI for March was at 106.9. ”There were a number of developments on the South African economic and political scene in April that led to uncertainty in the markets,” Wakeford said. Eight of the sub-indices dropped, three moved up and the remaining two stayed flat. The situation in Zimbabwe, especially reports on invasions and attacks on South African business interests in that country had a negative influence on the South African economy,” he added. Wakeford was critical of the three public holidays in April. ”The number of public holidays for the month, as well as the positioning of these days, probably induced absenteeism and bolstered the mindset that April is a holiday month,” he said. – Reuters