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Frederick Mitchell, Chief Economist | Aluma Capital (Pty) Ltd
Frederick Mitchell
November 14, 2025

Mining Production and Sales

September 2025

In September 2025, mining activity in South Africa increased by 1.2% year-on-year, after remaining unchanged in August.

This growth was primarily driven by:

  • A 6.7% increase in platinum production, which contributed 1.1 percentage points to the overall mining output for the month.
  • A 5.9% rise in gold production, adding a further 0.6 percentage points.
  • A 1.5% increase in coal mining, contributing an additional 0.4 percentage points to total monthly production.

For the third quarter of 2025, seasonally adjusted mining production rose by 2.5% compared to the previous quarter. The quarterly growth was mainly driven by:

  • Platinum mining, which expanded by 6.7%, contributing 1.7 percentage points.
  • Coal production, which increased by 1.0%, adding 0.3 percentage points.
  • Manganese ore, which grew by 6.8%, contributing a further 0.5 percentage points.

Nominal mining sales climbed by 16.6% in September. Several subsectors, notably supported this positive trend:

  • Platinum sales, which surged by 53.8%, contributing 11.3 percentage points to total mining sales growth.
  • Gold sales, which increased significantly by 60.4%, adding 9.6 percentage points.
  • Chromium ore sales, which rose by 12.5%, contributing another 1.1 percentage points.

However, some segments negatively impacted mining sales:

  • Coal sales, which declined by 9.8%, subtracting 2.5 percentage points.
  • Manganese ore sales, which fell by 22.9%, reducing sales by 1.8 percentage points.

The mining sector remains vital to South Africa’s economy, generating foreign exchange and providing employment for approximately 449,000 people, 16 000 more than in the previous quarter, according to StatsSA labour statistics for the third quarter of 2025. The sector grew by 3.7% from the first to the second quarter of 2025, based on recent GDP data. This quarterly growth is encouraging, given the sector’s ongoing importance for employment and foreign earnings.

Employment within the industry has slightly increased compared to the previous quarter, underscoring its continued significance. Nonetheless, several challenges persist, including concerns over exports to the US following new tariff measures introduced on 7 August, proposed export tariffs on manganese, and import tariffs on steel exports to the Eurozone. The sector also faces difficulties related to the loss of AGOA benefits in September and ongoing issues surrounding the new Mining Charter.

On the international front, geopolitical tensions between the US and China—characterised by trade conflicts and tariff disputes—continue to disrupt global markets and limit trade flows. However, some positive developments have emerged, such as the temporary exemption of certain mining materials used in steelmaking from high US tariffs. This provides some relief for the sector, which remains crucial to South Africa’s economy in terms of employment, foreign exchange, and overall growth.

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