particularly in the mining sector -- for thousands of job cuts this year. "A rise in global demand, the relatively low cost of capital and a weaker rand have all helped lift manufacturing," said ETM markets analyst Michael Keenan. Manufacturing contributed 1.2 percentage points to the overall quarterly increase in GDP, followed by the retail trade and finance sectors which each contributed 0.7 of a percentage point. Financial services makes up the biggest sector of South Africa's economy accounting for about 18.6 percent of GDP while the retail sector is the third biggest, comprising 14 percent.
