Six things that become more expensive in South Africa at the start of 2022

Statistics South Africa has published its latest consumer price index, showing that annual headline inflation jumped to 5.9% in December 2021, up from 5.5% in November 2021, as reported by BusinessTech.

This is the highest annual increase since March 2017 when the rate was 6.1%, the statistics body said in a statement on Wednesday (19 January).

The main contributors to the 5.9% annual inflation rate were food and non-alcoholic beverages; housing and utilities; transport; and miscellaneous goods and services. Food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 5.5% year on year and contributed a percentage point to the total CPI annual rate.

Some of the largest annual price increases (December 2020 vs December 2021) were recorded for the following goods and services:

• Fuel: +40.5%
• Oils and fats: +20.8%
• Meat: +8.6%
• Wine: +7.8%
• Electricity and other fuels: +14%
• Milk, eggs and cheese: +5.3%