South Africa Private Sector Posts Slight Expansion

2025-10-03 07:29 By Kyrie Dichosa 1 min. read

The S&P Global South Africa PMI rose to 50.2 in September 2025, up slightly from 50.1 in August, signaling a fifth consecutive month of growth, albeit marginal.

Output and new orders expanded further, with new business supported by stronger regional demand, offsetting weaker inflows from the US and Europe.

Export orders rose for the first time since March.

Purchasing activity increased modestly, while suppliers’ delivery times shortened for a sixth straight month amid improving material availability.

Cost pressures eased, with input prices rising at the weakest rate in 11 months, helped by a stronger exchange rate and lower headcounts.

Selling price inflation slowed to a four-month low as firms passed on savings to customers.

Meanwhile, employment declined for a second month, largely due to staff replacement difficulties, though backlogs rose for the first time in over a year.

Business confidence weakened, with optimism towards future output falling to its lowest level since July 2021.



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