According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa (SSA), in December last year South Africa’s manufacturing output increased by 1.8 percent compared to the same month of 2019.
In December, the production of basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery increased by 3.6 percent on year-on-year basis. In the given month, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa declined by 7.7 percent, while the production of structural metal products was up by 9.2 percent, both compared to the same month of 2019. In December last year, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa was up by 18.5 percent, while the production of structural metal products in South Africa fell by 2.2 percent, both on month-on-month basis.
For basic iron and steel products, the estimated seasonally adjusted sales of basic iron and steel products (at current prices) in December last year increased by 4.5 percent month on month, amounting to ZAR 9.51 billion ($657.36 million).
