South Africa March Manufacturing Down

Workers work on machines at a clothing factory at an industrial town of Newcastle, 260 km southeast of Johannesburg. Taken May 8, 2013.

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's manufacturing output fell 1.1% year on year in March after falling by a revised 5.6% in February, statistics agency data showed on Thursday.

Factory production rose 4.0% month on month in March, after falling by 1.3% in February.

The nation's electricity shortages and power outages have been blamed by many for hampering industrial production. State-owned Eskom is held responsible for much of the problem.

South Africa is responding to the shortages by more aggressively incorporating renewable energy into its supply mix.