JOHANNESBURG - South Africans are forking out nearly 12 percent more for basic food items compared to a year ago.
This is a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the July unrest and the KwaZulu-Natal floods.
READ: Cost of food steadily rising: PMB Economic Justice & Dignity Group
The latest Household Affordability Index is compiled by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group.
The index tracks food price data from 44 supermarkets and 30 butcheries in the country.
READ: Food prices set to increase - Economic Justice and Dignity Group
It says it saw a significant spike in the price of a 5 litre bottle of cooking oil by an average of 14 percent.
Potatoes, onions and chicken livers also saw a significant increase of more than 5 percent.
READ: KZN floods | Expect higher food prices, says Agriculture Minister
"Our imports and the value of the rand being not as strong as one would wish, so our imports are quite costly and we import a lot of agricultural inputs like fertilisers and of course fuel as you have just mentioned," said Mervyn Abrahams from the group.
"We import a lot of meat and sunflower as well as palm oil from Indonesia and so all of these factors are coming together now to raise the level of food pricing inflation for us locally,"
