After growing by 3.1% in the fourth quarter of 2017, the South Africa economy wobbled in the first quarter of 2018, shrinking by 2.2% quarter-on-quarter, according to the latest data from Stats SA.
Agriculture, mining and manufacturing were the main contributors to the slowdown, with the electricity, construction and trade industries also recording negative growth, the group said.
The 2.2% fall is the largest quarter-on-quarter decline since the first quarter of 2009. In that quarter, the economy contracted by 6.1%.
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