According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa, in May this year the country's manufacturing output grew by 4.2 percent compared to the same month of 2011, while the seasonally adjusted manufacturing production is estimated to have increased by 2.7 percent compared to April.
In South Africa, the seasonally adjusted production of basic iron and steel products in May decreased by 6.1 percent compared to April, while the actual production index of basic iron and steel products saw a decrease of 23.5 percent year on year.
For basic iron and steel products, the estimated seasonally adjusted sales of manufactured products (at current prices) in May this year increased by 0.6 percent compared to April and were up 2.4 percent year on year, amounting to ZAR 8.25 billion ($994 million).