South Africa Manufacturing Output Contracts 1.5%

(RTTNews) - South Africa's manufacturing output declined for the second straight month in August, data from Statistics South Africa showed on Thursday.

Manufacturing production dropped 1.5 percent year-over-year in August, following a 1.3 percent decrease in July.

The largest negative contributions were made by the basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery, and the food and beverages division, the agency said.

On a monthly basis, manufacturing production recovered 0.4 percent after falling 0.8 percent in July. Six of the ten manufacturing divisions reported positive growth rates over this period.