SA mining production growth slows in January
Labour unrest has hurt South Africa’s mining output, Nedbank’s Economic Unit said as Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) noted a slowing in mining production during January.
The ‘Mining production and sales’ report for January, released last week, showed year-on-year growth slowing to 3.1% from the 12.2% increase reported in December.
An 8.4% month-on-month rise in coal production in January helped soften the blow to overall mining production, despite a year-on-year slip of 7.9%.
Iron-ore, with an 11.7% year-on-year increase, and manganese ore, with a 25.5% year-on-year jump, emerged as the main contributors to the 3.1% rise in total mining output.
On a monthly basis, seasonally adjusted mining production declined 1.1%, compared with the 6.9% monthly expansion reported in January 2013, on the back of a 3.7% fall in platinum group metals (PGMs) production.
“The labour unrest in the platinum mining sector has already hurt mining production,” the Nedbank Economic Unit said.
Both gold and iron-ore production also contributed to the month-on-month decline, slipping 3.3% and 8.5% respectively.
“Mining output has been volatile, mainly [owing] to labour unrest in the sector. Continued labour unrest in some parts of the sector, infrastructure constraints and lower growth in China will probably continue to have a negative impact on production,” Nedbank added.
Investec economist Kamilla Kaplan said it was likely that quarterly growth, which registered at 4%, would slow further owing to the strike-induced work stoppages, which started on January 23.
“PGMs production comprises nearly a quarter of total mining production and the impact to date has been significant,” she noted.
The strike action across Anglo American, Impala Platinum and Lonmin, which collectively accounted for 80% of global PGMs production, had resulted in combined and cumulative production losses of 499 000 oz of platinum.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
For over 30 years, Werner South Africa Pumps & Equipment (PTY) LTD has been designing, manufacturing, supplying and maintaining specialist...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Your global lifecycle technology & service partner for materials & minerals processing equipment for coal, iron ore, copper, manganese & other...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
