The Minerals Council South Africa has confirmed that mining production rose by 1% in July 2025 marking the fifth consecutive month of growth.
The month-on-month (m-o-m) increase was driven by higher output in several key commodities, including manganese (+8.9%), iron ore (+5.1%), copper (+4%), and gold (+0.9%). However, declines were recorded in chrome (-1.7%), platinum group metals or PGMs (-0.3%), nickel (-23.8%), diamonds (-2.3%), and coal (-1.3%).
On a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis, iron ore (+12.2%), PGMs (+6.2%), diamonds (+5.9%), chrome (+1.8%), and coal (+1.4%) posted positive growth. In contrast, gold (-0.4%), copper (-6.7%), manganese (-3.3%), and nickel (-8.7%) saw production decreases compared to July 2024.
According to the Minerals Council, the sustained month-on-month growth was supported by both domestic and global factors.
Domestically, reduced loadshedding due to improved power supply stability from Eskom allowed mines, particularly in energy-intensive sectors like platinum and gold, to operate closer to full capacity. Normalised weather conditions, following earlier disruptions in March and April, also contributed,” the Council said.
Globally, three factors supported July’s performance: strong demand from China and India, particularly for industrial and automotive uses; a surge in inventory buildup by global buyers ahead of anticipated US tariffs; and a structural supply deficit in PGMs – with platinum alone expected to face a shortfall of nearly 1 million ounces in 2025.”
Acting Chief Economist Bongani Motsa projected that based on July’s performance, the mining sector is on track to grow by approximately 1% in the third quarter of 2025.
He added that mining production rose by 4.2% on a quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) basis in the second quarter of 2025. However, year-to-date figures (January to July) show an overall decline of 1.9% compared to the same period in 2024.
