South Africa’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) has climbed to 4% in April following a 1.1% monthly increase, with fuel prices emerging as the primary driver of the surge.

The latest figures from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reveal this marks the highest inflation rate the country has experienced since August 2024, when it reached 4.4%.

Motorists bore the brunt of the increase as fuel prices jumped by 18.2% between March and April – the steepest monthly rise since the current CPI series commenced in 2008.

Petrol prices increased by 15.2% whilst diesel surged by 35.4%. The price of inland 93-octane petrol climbed from R20,19 per litre in March to R23,25 in April, representing the fifth-largest increase for this grade in 50 years and the most significant this century.

Diesel users faced even sharper costs, with the average price per litre leaping from R21,28 in March to R28,80 in April.

The fuel price shock rippled through to transport costs, with the passenger transport services index rising by 3.1% between March and April – the largest monthly increase since July 2022.

Air travellers also faced mounting costs as ticket prices jumped by 24.5% in April, following a 14.3% hike in March. This represents the largest monthly increase in airfares since March 2008, when prices rose by 32.4%.

However, not all categories contributed to inflationary pressure. Annual food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation slowed for the third consecutive month, dropping from 3.6% in March to 2.9% in April.

Meat prices showed the most significant deceleration, easing from 11.6% in March to 9.4% in April. Beef mince inflation slowed from 22.2% to 15.3%, whilst stewing beef moderated from 22.6% to 8.7%. Pork inflation decreased from 19.5% to 17.7%.

The cereal products category recorded its third consecutive month of deflation, with five of the 19 items in the category now cheaper than a year ago. These include white rice, maize meal, porridge, basmati rice and bread flour.

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The milk, dairy products and eggs category recorded its first annual increase since May 2025, rising by 0.1% compared to March’s -0.5%. Powdered milk and eggs remained in deflationary territory at -3.4% and -5.8% respectively.

Medical aid costs also contributed to the overall inflation figure, with the insurance index rising by 1.3%. Health insurance recorded a monthly increase of 1.8%, bringing the annual rise to 8.3%.

Stats SA noted that several medical schemes increased their contributions earlier in the year, with the remainder implementing new premiums in April.

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