May inflation unchanged at 2.8%
Annual consumer price inflation remained unchanged at 2.8% in May 2025, mirroring the rate recorded in April, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday.
On a month-to-month basis, overall prices rose by 0.2%.
The main contributors to the 2.8% annual inflation rate included the housing and utilities sector, food and non-alcoholic beverages, and alcoholic beverages and tobacco.
The CPI serves as a key indicator of inflation trends in the country, capturing the evolving cost of a representative basket of goods and services.
#ZAInflation || Annual consumer price inflation was 2,8% in May, unchanged from April.
— Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) (@StatsSA) June 18, 2025
Listen here for more: https://t.co/nRXO61Q3Ax #StatsSA #ZACPI #GovZAupdates pic.twitter.com/iRsbo2opcj
Patrick Kelly, Head of Price Statistics at Stats SA, highlighted that meat prices, especially beef, were a primary factor behind the increase in food inflation.
“Meat and specifically beef, is a key factor behind the rise in food inflation. The annual rate for meat jumped to 4.4% from 3% in April, that month, monthly increases for beef products ranged from 6.2% to 11.9%, in May, this trend continued with notable monthly increases recorded for beef steak up to 4 and a half percent, stewing beef higher by 2.5% and beef mince increasing by 1.7%."
Oils and fats experienced the sharpest rise among food categories, with prices climbing 5.6% year-on-year in May, marking the steepest annual increase since April 2023.
Meanwhile, goods inflation inched up to 1.8% in May from 1.7% in April, while services inflation eased slightly, declining to 3.6% from 3.8%.
Kelly also pointed to continued volatility in vegetable prices, which remain subject to seasonal variations affecting supply levels.
“The annual rate for the category was 10.3% in May, up from a recent low of -2.6% in November 2024. The rate in May is the highest since January 2024 when it was 12.6%."
High annual increases were recorded for beetroot up by 64% followed by lettuce up by 20.9% and carrots up by 13.4% higher.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages stood out as the only category to significantly influence the monthly increase in inflation. The annual rate for this category rose to 4.8% in May, up from 4% in April — the highest since March 2024.
This surge was largely driven by a spike in beef prices following a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, compounded by rising animal feed costs impacting the meat industry.
