<p>South Africa's economy shrank by more than half in the second quarter as business activity in the country ground to a halt as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the national statistics agency said.</p>.<p>"South Africa's economy contracted by 51 per cent in Q2 2020" compared with the same period of 2019, Statistics South Africa said in a statement.</p>.<p>The unprecedented contraction came after a strict lockdown, imposed on March 27, caused most economic activity to cease.</p>.<p>It was driven largely by steep declines in the construction, manufacturing and mining sectors, where activity shrank by up to 70 per cent.</p>.<p>South Africa's economy was already in recession -- it's second in two years -- when it was hit by the virus and had shrunk by two per cent during the first three months of this year.</p>.<p>The second-quarter contraction "dwarfs the annualised slowdown of 6.1 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2009 during the global financial crisis," the statisticians said.</p>
<p>South Africa's economy shrank by more than half in the second quarter as business activity in the country ground to a halt as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the national statistics agency said.</p>.<p>"South Africa's economy contracted by 51 per cent in Q2 2020" compared with the same period of 2019, Statistics South Africa said in a statement.</p>.<p>The unprecedented contraction came after a strict lockdown, imposed on March 27, caused most economic activity to cease.</p>.<p>It was driven largely by steep declines in the construction, manufacturing and mining sectors, where activity shrank by up to 70 per cent.</p>.<p>South Africa's economy was already in recession -- it's second in two years -- when it was hit by the virus and had shrunk by two per cent during the first three months of this year.</p>.<p>The second-quarter contraction "dwarfs the annualised slowdown of 6.1 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2009 during the global financial crisis," the statisticians said.</p>