Manufacturing activity in South Africa dropped by 2.9% year-on-year in April 2026, marking the steepest decline in a year, following an upwardly revised 1.5% increase in the prior month. The downturn was largely driven by basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery (-6%); wood and wood products, paper, publishing and printing (-10%) and motor vehicles, parts and accessories and other transport equipment (-11%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, output shrank by 2.7%, after an upwardly revised 1.2% rise in the prior month. Manufacturing production fell by 1.3% in the three months ended April 2026 compared with the previous three months.