South African manufacturing activity improved in April, a Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) survey showed on Thursday, helped by there being no rolling power cuts for the whole of last month.

The seasonally-adjusted PMI rose to 54.0 points in April from 49.2 in March, rising above the 50-point mark that separates expansion from contraction.

"Through April, South Africa experienced no load-shedding, which would have been positive for economic activity," Absa, which sponsors the PMI, said in a statement, using a local term for power cuts.

Despite the overall improvement in operating conditions for manufacturers, export sales were more muted than domestic orders and the comments of some respondents suggested demand was still sluggish, Absa said.

Citing an improvement in the generation outlook, state power utility Eskom said last week that it would probably be able to limit power cuts over the winter months, running roughly from April to August.

(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya Editing by Alexander Winning)