South Africa Mining Output Growth Misses Forecasts

2026-05-14 10:04 By Luisa Carvalho 1 min. read

Mining production in South Africa rose by 2.5% year-on-year in March 2026, following a 9.7% jump in the prior month and below market forecasts of a 4.1% advance.

This marked the slowest mining growth in the current four-month stretch, with activity easing across key segments including PGMs (10.5% vs 52.3% in February), manganese ore (14.4% vs 27.8%) and nickel (10.5% vs 29.6%).

Moreover, production fell for copper (-35.8% vs -42.7%); other non-metallic minerals (-16.8% vs -13.2%); coal (-9.6% vs -6.7%); other metallic minerals (-9.5% vs -0.1%); diamonds (-8.5% vs 13.1%) and iron ore (-2.7% vs -12.3%).

Conversely, gold output picked up (17.1% vs 12.8%).

On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production slipped by 5.1%, after an upwardly revised 3% rise in the prior month.

Mining output increased by 0.6% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the fourth quarter of 2025.



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South Africa Mining Output Growth Misses Forecasts
Mining production in South Africa rose by 2.5% year-on-year in March 2026, following a 9.7% jump in the prior month and below market forecasts of a 4.1% advance. This marked the slowest mining growth in the current four-month stretch, with activity easing across key segments including PGMs (10.5% vs 52.3% in February), manganese ore (14.4% vs 27.8%) and nickel (10.5% vs 29.6%). Moreover, production fell for copper (-35.8% vs -42.7%); other non-metallic minerals (-16.8% vs -13.2%); coal (-9.6% vs -6.7%); other metallic minerals (-9.5% vs -0.1%); diamonds (-8.5% vs 13.1%) and iron ore (-2.7% vs -12.3%). Conversely, gold output picked up (17.1% vs 12.8%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production slipped by 5.1%, after an upwardly revised 3% rise in the prior month. Mining output increased by 0.6% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the fourth quarter of 2025.
2026-05-14
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