According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa, in April this year the country's manufacturing output grew by 1.2 percent compared to the same month of 2011, while the seasonally adjusted manufacturing production increased by 1.3 percent compared to March.
In South Africa, the seasonally adjusted production of basic iron and steel products in April decreased by six percent compared to March, while the actual production index of basic iron and steel products saw a decrease of 24.2 percent year on year.
For basic iron and steel products, the estimated seasonally adjusted sales of manufactured products (at current prices) in April this year decreased by 1.6 percent compared to March and were down 3.7 percent year on year, amounting to ZAR 8.17 billion ($978 million).