South Africa Factory Output Rebounds in March

Manufacturing activity in South Africa increased 0.9% year-on-year in March 2026, following an upwardly revised 2.3% fall in February. This marks the first increase in manufacturing output since November, primarily due to food & beverages (3.5%); petroleum, chemical products, rubber and plastic products (1.8%) and electrical machinery (11.9%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, output rose by 0.8%, after a downwardly revised 1.8% fall in the previous month. Manufacturing production decreased by 1% in Q1 2026 compared with the previous period.

Manufacturing activity in South Africa slipped by 2.8% year-on-year in February 2026, following a downwardly revised 0.1% fall in January and worse than the expected 0.3% decrease. This marks the fourth consecutive month of downturn in industrial activity and the most pronounced since April 2025, mainly on account of food & beverages (-4.5%); wood and wood products, paper, publishing and printing (-9.7%) and basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery (-3.6%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, output fell by 2.2%, after an upwardly revised 1.9% rise in the previous month. Manufacturing production decreased by 2% in the three months ended February 2026 compared with the previous three months.

Manufacturing activity in South Africa decreased by 0.7% year-on-year in January 2026, after an upwardly revised 1.5% fall in December, marking the third consecutive month of declines. The main negative contributors were the wood and wood products, paper, publishing, and printing division (-11.0%, -1.3 percentage points) and the basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products, and machinery division (-5.7%, -1.2 pp). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, output rose by 1.5%, after an upwardly revised 1.3% decline in the previous month.