Mining production in South Africa declined by 2.7% year-on-year in January, with the biggest setbacks coming from iron ore, platinum group metals (PGMs), and coal, according to Statistics South Africa.
Iron ore output fell by 15.1%, PGMs by 3.8%, and coal by 4.4%, contributing -2.7, -1.1, and -1 percentage points to the overall decline, respectively.
In contrast, manganese ore provided some relief, increasing by 21.2% and adding 1.2 percentage points to the headline figure as the largest positive contributor.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, mining production dropped 1.2% in January compared to December, following declines of -3.7% in December and a flat 0% change in November.
For the three-month period ending January 31, mining output fell by 3.5% compared to the previous three months. PGMs and iron ore saw further declines of 4.2% and 5.1%, while gold production contracted by 4.7%, contributing -1.3, -0.7, and -0.6 percentage points, respectively.
Mineral sales at current prices fell 5.9% year-on-year in January, with gold and chromium ore experiencing the steepest drops. Gold sales declined by 21.1%, contributing -5.8 percentage points, Chromium ore sales plunged by 26.8%, subtracting -1.7 percentage points.
Also, Coal was the standout performer, with sales increasing 14.2%, adding 3.1 percentage points.
However, seasonally adjusted mineral sales increased by 2.5% in January compared to December, following a sharp 10.1% decline in December and a 5.9% increase in November.
For the three-month period ending January 31, mineral sales were up by 6.8%, showing signs of recovery despite the overall production slump.
