FX.co ★ South Africa Factory Output Posts Surprise Rebound

In September 2025, South Africa's manufacturing output experienced a year-on-year increase of 0.3%, rebounding from a 1.5% decline in the previous month and surpassing analysts' predictions of a 0.3% decrease. This modest growth marked the first instance of industrial expansion after two consecutive months of decline. The primary drivers of this improvement were the motor vehicles, parts, and accessories sector, along with the food and beverages sector, which recorded increases of 7.6% and 1.8% respectively, each contributing 0.5 percentage points to the overall growth. However, these gains were partially offset by declines in other areas: electrical machinery (-7.3%), wood and wood products, paper, publishing, and printing (-5.3%), and basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products, and machinery (-1.2%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, factory output fell by 0.5%, following a revised 0.7% increase in the preceding month. Manufacturing production saw a slight rise of 0.1% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the second quarter of the year.