By Luisa Carvalho.
Mining production in South Africa surged by 9.7% year-on-year in February 2026, following an upwardly revised 5% rise in the prior month.
This marked the strongest pace of growth in mining activity since February 2024, mainly driven by favorable base effects from a weak comparison base.
Notable increases were seen for PGMs (+52.3%); chromium ore (+26.9%) manganese ore (+17.8%) and gold (+12.8%).
On the other hand, iron ore (-12.4%) and coal (-6.7%) were the largest negative contributors.
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production rose by 2.3%, after an upwardly revised 3.7% advance in the previous month.
Seasonally adjusted mining production shrank by 1.7% in the three months ended February 2026 compared with the previous three months.