The benchmark all-share index fell 0.22% to 75,021 points and the blue-chip index of top 40 companies ended down 0.28% at 68,461 points.
The mining index closed 1.39% weaker, with Northam Platinum, Harmony Gold, Gold Fields and AngloGold Ashanti falling between 1.91% and 3.21%, as higher bond yields and U.S. rate hike bets depressed gold. Platinum and palladium also fell. [GOL/]
"Central banks upping their game is not favourable for the yellow metal and we are now seeing that across the board, from the Fed maybe raising interest rates five times, to the BoE perhaps doing similar and even the ECB joining to a much lesser degree," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA.
"All are coming around to the market view that inflation is here for a while and it needs addressing."
In the currency market, the rand strengthened against the dollar as the U.S. currency took a hit from hawkish comments by the European Central Bank and the Bank of England rate hike.
At 1615 GMT, the rand was up 0.5% on its previous close at 15.2550 to the dollar.
The dollar dropped 0.5% against a basket of currencies as the euro and British pound both advanced against the greenback.
The rand's gains erased losses from Wednesday, when risks to the domestic economy resurfaced with power utility Eskom announcing scheduled power cuts.
Rand Merchant Bank analysts said President Cyril Ramaphosa's state of the nation address on Feb. 10 and the 2022 budget on Feb. 23 were key upcoming events on the market's mind.
(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla and Alexander Winning; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Devika Syamnath)
