Headline consumer inflation jumped to 3.5%in July from 3% in June 2025. According to Statistics South Africa, this is the highest rate since September 2024, when it was 3.8%.
The main contributors to the annual inflation rate were food and non-alcoholic beverages, particularly meat, followed by municipal tariffs.
Inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages rose to 5.7% from 5.1% in this period.
The rise in this category was mainly due to higher meat prices.
On average, beef prices increased by 7.6% between June and July.
Another driver of the annual inflation was municipal tariffs, which are adjusted annually in July.
In this period, water and electricity tariffs increased by 12.1% and 10.6%, respectively.
#ZAinflation || Annual consumer price inflation hit a 10-month high in July, rising to 3,5% from 3,0% in June.
Read more here: https://t.co/0KCQV9vuJu#StatsSA #KnowYourStatsZA #ZACPI #GovZAUpdates pic.twitter.com/sdK1OP1UoL
— Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) (@StatsSA) August 20, 2025
