The International Monetary Fund on Monday kept South Africa's economic growth forecast for 2018 unchanged at 1.5% but warned that the economy faced several headwinds, mainly the rapid rise in public debt and potential bailouts to state firms.

"The IMF's concerns on fiscal policy relates to the rapid increase in public debt as a share of GDP, which has doubled over the last decade, depleting fiscal buffers and constraining fiscal policy space," National Treasury said in a statement quoting the IMF's article IV statement following a two week-long country visit by the lender's officials.

"Risks related to potential SOE's (state-owned enterprises) bailouts will further constrain fiscal policy."