“They’re Testing Us”: R4k Blueberries and Inflated Fruit Prices Amid Fuel Hike Leave SA Disturbed
- A local student was stunned to see the fruit prices at his local grocery store, which were highly influenced by the fuel increase
- On his TikTok account, he showed off a few different ones, ranging from R45.99 to R4,000 a tub, sparking an online debate
- Social media users were shocked to see the high prices, with others questioning why salaries do not rise when everything else goes up
Source: TikTok
A young man studying in Gqeberha sparked a massive online debate about inflation and the repercussions of the Middle East war, which affected the fuel price and, therefore, food prices.
He shared the clip on his TikTok account @mashaokf11 on 2 April 2026, and it reached 245K views and nearly 200 comments from viewers who voiced their frustrations caused by high food prices.
The creator was visiting his local Pick 'n Pay and standing at the fruit section when he was stunned by the skyrocketing prices. Freshly-cut watermelon retailed for R45.99, with a R10 saving when buying two packs with a smart shopper card. Sliced pineapple, the size of one whole fruit, was priced at R69.99.
The high cost of fruits at Pick 'n Pay
The creator was shocked to see a mini-tub of pomegranate going for R50 and jokingly asked who eats the fruit anyway. A 250g pack of strawberries was priced at R69.99. The biggest shock, however, came with a large tub of blueberries, priced at R4,129.90. This amount had TikTok user @mashaokf11 convinced it was a pricing mistake.
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Watch the TikTok video below:
SA debates about the high fruit prices
The clip gained traction, with many social media users relating to the young man's post. Many viewers were shocked by the price of blueberries, with some convinced there had been a pricing error. Others questioned why the food prices rise alongside petrol but fail to decrease when the fuel drops. They noted that salaries never seem to keep pace with inflation. One user highlighted the importance of using loyalty cards to save. The user noted that while food prices spike with fuel hikes, they rarely come down when petrol prices go down. Another distressed viewer joked that, for her mental health, she was choosing to believe that the prices were in Nigerian naira, which is weaker than the rand.
Source: TikTok
User @Lotus said:
"So you thought the food would just teleport to the store, neh?😂😭mara R4k ke (is a) mistake, there's no way 🙅♂️."
User @zephyr.888 asked:
"So you guys haven’t figured out that the petrol price affects everything except your salaries?"
User @Roger asked:
"What people forget is that loyalty cards like Checkers save your buying habits and see what sells and doesn't. With this data, they manipulate the prices. If petrol goes up, they blame it on petrol. When petrol goes down, does food come down? No!"
User @Nomfundo_M added:
"Not the blueberries costing more than a full tank😭."
User @🇿🇦Laa-iqha(🇨🇩🇸🇩🇵🇸) commented:
"They are doing it on purpose, even this past weekend, the prices went up already. Milk and eggs are R100+ again, and even the oil is up. Mxm, they are testing us."
User @inga.has.an.iphone.17 shared:
"For my mental health, I'm gonna convince myself that it’s in naira and not rands😭 because, wow."
User @MissG said:
"They definitely made a mistake with those berries 😭."
3 Briefly News Pick 'n Pay-related articles
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- A Pick'n Pay shopper sparked online debate after claiming that she discovered differences between the labelled and the actual product quantities at the store.
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Source: Briefly News
