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This is according to data from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) group, which tracks the cost of a household food basket across the three major provinces.
The PMBEJD report found that while 10 of the 44 tracked food items became cheaper or saw no increases year-on-year, 34 experienced price hikes, and seven items saw double-digit inflation.
Additionally, inflation remained unchanged in May 2025 at 2.8%, which was recorded in April. In its latest inflation report, Stats SA warned that some food items recorded higher annual rates in May.
The increase was driven by higher inflation in key categories like food and non-alcoholic beverages. Food NAB inflation rose to 4.8%.
This was the highest annual rate since March 2024 (recorded at 5.1%), increasing by 0.8% from April.
According to Stats SA, the rise in Food NAB was due to higher meat prices, particularly beef products like stewing beef, mince, and steak.
Meat, especially beef, is a key reason for the rise in food inflation. The annual rate for meat jumped from 3.0% in April to 4.4% in May.
In April, monthly increases for beef products ranged from 6.2% to 11.9%. In May, notable increases were recorded for beef steak, up 4.5%, stewing beef, up 2.5% and beef mince, up 1.7%.
“A widespread outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, combined with higher feed prices, contributed to the rise in beef inflation,” said Stats SA.
The fish & other seafood category recorded an annual increase of 4.9% in May, up from 4.8% in April. Hake stands at 9.1% and fish fingers at 6.1%, which is more expensive than a year ago.
The annual rate for oils and fats was 5.6%, the highest since April 2023’s 10.0%. Sunflower oil recorded a yearly increase of 7.6% and brick margarine 7.9%.
Maize meal and samp also continue to record high price increases. The annual rate for cereal products stood at 4.5% in May, with double-digit inflation registered for maize meal (14.2%) and samp (20.6%).
