SA gold output falls 17.7% yr/yr in Sept

Gold output in South Africa fell 17.7% in September, when compared to the same period last year, due to Eskom’s power supply problems.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - 

South African gold output fell 17.7 percent in volume terms, while overall mineral production was down 3.5 percent in September compared to the same month in the previous year, official data showed on Thursday.

Production of non-gold minerals declined by 1.2 percent, Statistics South Africa said on its website www.statssa.gov.za

South African mine output has fallen after state-owned power utility Eskom [ESCJ.UL] suffered a near collapse in the electricity grid in January.

Eskom has since supplied around 90 to 95 percent power to mines in the country, the world's biggest source of platinum and the second-ranked gold producer.

(Reporting by James Macharia)

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