South Africa's manufacturing sector expanded in April at the slowest pace in ten months as business activity and demand was hurt by devastating flooding in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, results of a monthly survey by the Bureau of Economic Research showed Tuesday.
The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers' Index, or PMI, fell notably to 50.7 in April from 60.0 in March. A reading above 50 suggests growth in activity.
The reading was the lowest since July 2021 when unprecedented looting and rioting shook local production and demand, BER said.
