Mining production in South Africa slipped by 5.4% year-on-year in May 2026, following a downwardly revised 8% jump in April and worse than the expected 1.5% rise. The decline marked the first contraction in mining activity in six months and the steepest since February 2025. Iron ore was the largest negative contributor, declining 12.7% and subtracting 2.1 percentage points, followed by coal (-6.1%; -1.5 percentage points) and platinum group metals (PGMs), which fell 4.4%. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining output dropped by 5.2% in May, after a downwardly revised 3.1% advance in the month before. Mining production shrank by 1.7% in the three months ended May 2026 compared with the previous three months.