South Africa Mining Sector Growth Hits 2-Year High

2026-04-14 09:52 By Luisa Carvalho 1 min. read

Mining production in South Africa surged by 9.7% year-on-year in February 2026, following an upwardly revised 5% rise in the prior month.

This marked the strongest pace of growth in mining activity since February 2024, mainly driven by favorable base effects from a weak comparison base.

Notable increases were seen for PGMs (+52.3%); chromium ore (+26.9%) manganese ore (+17.8%) and gold (+12.8%).

On the other hand, iron ore (-12.4%) and coal (-6.7%) were the largest negative contributors.

On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production rose by 2.3%, after an upwardly revised 3.7% advance in the previous month.

Seasonally adjusted mining production shrank by 1.7% in the three months ended February 2026 compared with the previous three months.



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South Africa Mining Sector Growth Hits 2-Year High
Mining production in South Africa surged by 9.7% year-on-year in February 2026, following an upwardly revised 5% rise in the prior month. This marked the strongest pace of growth in mining activity since February 2024, mainly driven by favorable base effects from a weak comparison base. Notable increases were seen for PGMs (+52.3%); chromium ore (+26.9%) manganese ore (+17.8%) and gold (+12.8%). On the other hand, iron ore (-12.4%) and coal (-6.7%) were the largest negative contributors. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production rose by 2.3%, after an upwardly revised 3.7% advance in the previous month. Seasonally adjusted mining production shrank by 1.7% in the three months ended February 2026 compared with the previous three months.
2026-04-14
South Africa Mining Activity Picks Up Pace
Mining production in South Africa climbed by 4.6% year-on-year in January 2026, following an upwardly revised 2.8% rise in the prior month. Platinum group metals (+10.8%, adding 2.7 points), chromium ore (+37.3%, +1.8 points), and manganese ore (+12.5%, +1.0 point) were the main positive contributors. Gold (0.7%) and diamonds (4.2%) also registered increases. Conversely, output declined significantly for copper (-21.7%); other non-metallic minerals (-21.7%); nickel (-4.3%) and building materials (-4.1%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production rose by 2.9%, the most since May 2025, after an upwardly revised 1.6% drop in the previous month.
2026-03-12
South Africa Mining Output Bounces Back in December
Mining production in South Africa rose by 2.5% year-on-year in December 2025, following a downwardly revised 2.4% slump in the prior month, with manganese ore (40.4% vs 16.7%) and iron ore (19% vs -7.6%) contributing the most. Output also increased significantly for other metallic minerals (27.3% vs 14.9%), nickel (26.6% vs 3.2%); chromium ore (15.5% vs 0.3%) and other non-metallic minerals (10.4% vs -3.3%). On the other hand, decreases were seen for diamonds (-35.8%), PGMs (-7.7%), coal (-5.7%) and copper (-1.5%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production fell by 1.2%, after a downwardly revised 5.7% decline in the previous month. Total mining production was 0.1% higher in 2025 compared with 2024.
2026-02-12