Yes, your braai meat IS more expensive as SA inflation rises

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Headline consumer price index (CPI) inflation in South Africa ticked up to 2.8% in April, slightly higher than March’s 2.7%, Statistics South Africa reported.

Month-on-month, prices rose by 0.3%, with food and beverage items being the primary drivers of this uptick.

Beef leads food price surge

April brought a sharp rise in food inflation.

The annual inflation rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages (NAB) climbed to 4%, the highest level since September 2024 (4.6%).

On a monthly basis, the category recorded a 1.3% increase, the steepest jump since October 2023.

The surge was largely driven by meat prices, particularly beef products.

Stewing beef, mince, and steak recorded the strongest gains, pushing meat prices up 2.3% between March and April – the highest monthly increase since January 2023.

Meat carries substantial weight in the inflation basket, accounting for 5.1% of total household spending.

Coffee and cooking oil also climb

Prices for oils and fats also rose notably, increasing 1.4% month-on-month, with an annual rate of 4.8%.

Cooking oil is now 6.1% more expensive than a year ago, and brick margarine is up 5.5%.

Coffee lovers found little relief, as hot beverage inflation rose to 15.2% – the highest since September 2024 (15.8%).

Instant coffee prices soared 20.2% year-on-year, reflecting elevated global commodity costs.

The World Bank’s robusta coffee index surged 28.1% in the same period.

The alcoholic beverages and tobacco category also saw a higher annual rate of 4.7%, up from 4.1% in March, although its monthly increase slowed to 1.3%.

This reflects the lingering impact of excise tax increases implemented earlier this year.

Fuel prices offer some relief

Amid rising food and beverage prices, fuel costs continued to ease, offering some consolation to consumers.

Fuel prices dropped by 3.2% month-on-month, with a year-on-year decline of 13.4%.

The price of inland 95-octane petrol fell from R22.34 in March to R21.62 in April, while diesel prices also eased, averaging R21.94 compared to R22.80 the previous month.