Some of the factors contributing to this trend in recent times are: (i)  The decline in the contribution of gold mining sector to growth and the decline in the role of gold globally;  (ii)  Binding constraints related to infrastructure bottlenecks;  (iii)  Skills shortages and mismatch;  (iv)  The dominance of low-cost production bases which are export oriented in many emerging market economies; and  (v)  Sluggish growth in SA’s key trading partners.
Economic activity on the production side has changed noticeably when compared to the 1980s. The agriculture and mining (primary) sectors have shrunk since then and contribute less than 5 per cent to GDP. Although the manufacturing sector has shrunk as well, it contributes roughly around 15 per cent.