Food Prices Go Up by 14% Compared to Last Year As Petrol Price Set to Decrease

• South Africans are paying R586.39 more for a household basket compared to September 2021
• The Household Affordability Index report painted a grim picture of the high prices that citizens are forced to endure
• While fuel and global food prices have come down, South Africans have not seen the same drop

PIETERMARITZBURG - South Africans are paying R586.39 more for a household basket compared to September 2021, according to the Household Affordability Index report. The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD) released the findings on Tuesday, 29 September.

The report indicates that citizens are paying almost 14% more for basic groceries than last year. Prices from 44 supermarkets and 30 butcheries in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, and the Northern Cape were used to track the information.

PMBEJD’s Mervyn Abrahams said that fuel and global food prices have come down for the past three months, but South Africans have not seen the same drop. He believes the high prices are due to a lack of transparency in the local food value chains, according to TimesLIVE.

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Abrahams said the group has been unable to identify where inflation remains stubbornly high in the chain. He questioned if the industry is passing on the lower costs to consumers.

The group said that the Reserve Bank’s increase in the repo rate would not make a difference if retailers were not passing on lower costs. Abrahams said raising interest rates will bring more pain to the South African consumer — making citizens poorer.

There is some hope as the price of petrol is expected to decrease by R1, according to the Central Energy Fund. However, the Automobile Association’s Spokesperson Layton Beard told SABC News that about R6 in taxes are added to every litre of fuel, and R3.94 goes to the General Fuel Levy, which goes to the fiscus.

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Mzansi reacts to the price hikes:

Mojalefa Chaka said:

“For us, who are being paid below a living wage are paying 41% not 14% to feed our families.”

Bradley Peterson commented:

“That’s an understatement 14% I could handle 14% it’s more like 50%. Look at the price of cooking oil alone which price had tripled and that’s when it’s on so-called special.”

Fowzia Wilson wrote:

“This is so sad. Salaries are not increasing but foodstuff is rising by the day! it’s ridiculous.”

Juart Bopapa Prieska Bosetse posted:

“I feel this pain while our salaries are not increasing.”

Marvin Go added:

“You should be able to feed your family without having to go broke doing it.”

South Africans paying R500 more for groceries, Briefly News readers share how much they spend per month

In a related matter, Briefly News also reported South Africans are spending at least R500 more on groceries every month compared to a year ago.

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The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBEJD) recently compiled a Household Affordability Index that shows 44 basic items increased.

South Africans are paying almost 13% more for food, according to data from 44 supermarkets and 30 butcheries in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Springbok in the Northern Cape.

Source: Briefly News