This is the lowest reading for inflation in South Africa since April 2021
The Competition Commission has said that practises by fertiliser, agrochemical and seed companies may also distort competition
The central bank has maintained the key repo rate at 8.25% since hiking it by 50 basis points in May 2023
A Centre for Risk Analysis index measuring the ingredients used in making porridge shows that wages are not keeping pace with prices
The favourable rainfall and an expected increase in the planting area bodes well for agriculture
The M&G’s basic food basket survey shows that supermarket prices don’t always drop when those at fresh produce markets do
World food and fuel costs have dropped but grocery prices at local supermarkets remain unaffordably high
The knock-on projection for local food prices is positive
The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group has said the cost of nutritious food is already unaffordable for poor households
In the wake of a food affordability crisis, prices at retail level are not controlled and the government is at arm’s length
The livelihoods of people selling produce are being threatened by the high food prices
Fresh produce markets in cities around the country provide people with a cheaper shopping alternative, but not many cash-strapped households are aware of the benefits of cutting out the middleman
In its latest essential food pricing monitoring report, the Competition Commission notes consumer prices were slow to come down despite easing inflation. Blame load-shedding?
Regardless of the instability of world production, there are strong reasons to feel optimistic about grocery prices
Price hikes mean fewer people are able to put nutritious food on the table, experts warn
The rand strengthened ahead of Wednesday’s inflation data, but it still held above R19 against the dollar
We are living through incredibly tough economic conditions and high food prices have added insult to injury
Governor Lesetja Kganyago underlined the deleterious effect of inflation, which the monetary policy committee has revised higher, on the pockets of the poor
The shelves in grocery stores have become more forbidding since the pandemic, but economists believe that there is some hope on the horizon
Analysts expected inflation to continue on a downward trajectory in February after falling to 6.9% in January; instead, it reached 7%
Refining wheat, maize and rice removes their nutritional value, which contributes to preventable diseases such as strokes, diabetes and obesity
Two of the monetary policy committee’s five members preferred an even more painful 100 basis point hike, as bank remains hawkish
Global dynamics and South Africa’s energy crisis will weigh on domestic growth for years to come. But green investment could, eventually, resuscitate the economy
Labour unions have embarked on a nationwide strike over the high cost of living
Lesetja Kganyago defended the bank’s inflation-targeting regime amid criticism that it will do little to cushion consumers against external shocks
With high prices continuing to bear down on consumers the world over, leaders who fail to bring inflation to heel could face a reckoning
The effects of the war in Ukraine have brought much of the world’s attention to energy prices. But food insecurity is also rising and will likely get worse
The financially stretched middle class is teetering on the brink as fuel and food prices gnaw at their disposable incomes
Consumers, who have remained resilient despite South Africa’s economic woes over the past decade, are being squeezed on all fronts. What are the policy options? Or is it the same old, same old
There is a lot bearing down on South African consumers and, without growth, the economy stands to decline
The disruptions brought by the Russia-Ukraine war will increase the costs of basic staples, putting 280-million people across the world at risk of starvation.
With food and petrol prices rocketing, impoverished people sacrifice nutritious food for starches that keep them full, leaving children malnourished and adults prone to disease