JOHANNESBURG: Growth in credit demand by South Africa's private sector fell to 7.88 percent year-on-year in February, compared with an unrevised 8.64 percent rise in January, central bank data showed on Thursday.

Expansion in the broadly defined M3 measure of money supply climbed to 7.71 percent year-on-year in February, from an unrevised 6.75 percent the previous month.

Economists surveyed by Reuters forecast year-on-year private sector credit growth of 8 percent in February and a 7.2 percent rise in money supply.