South Africa’s economy contracted 0.2% in the second quarter of 2026 on a seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter basis, statistics agency data showed Tuesday. The decline exceeded economists’ 0.1% forecast and followed downwardly revised first-quarter growth of 0.4%. It was the first quarterly contraction since the third quarter of 2024, ending the longest growth run in almost a decade. Three of 10 industries shrank, led by a 3.0% decline in mining, a 1.9% drop in trade and a 1.8% fall in energy-intensive manufacturing. Higher oil prices increased transport costs amid the fallout from the Middle East conflict. Annual GDP growth slowed to 0.9% in April-June from 1.9% in the first quarter, below the 1% market expectation; earlier reporting had cited a 1.2% forecast.