South Africa's rand firmer as leading central banks seen keeping rates low

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's rand firmed alongside other emerging market currencies on Friday as investors bet that leading central banks would keep rates low to minimise the damage to the global economy after Britons voted to exit the European Union. The rand strengthened to 14.5000 versus the greenback, up 1.5 percent from Thursday's close. Government bonds also climbed higher, with the yield on debt due in 2026 falling 15 basis points to 8.69 percent. (Reporting by Stella Mapenzauswa; Editing by James Macharia)