Inflation rises to 4% as fuel costs record sharpest jump since 2008

“Consumer inflation jumped to 4.0% in April from 3.1% in March, driven mainly by sharp fuel price increases,” said Stats SA chief director for price statistics Patrick Kelly.

According to Bloemfontein Courant, this marks the highest inflation reading since August 2024, when the headline rate stood at 4.4%, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures. The monthly CPI increase for April was 1.1%.

Fuel prices drive sharp inflation spike

Consumers were hit hard at the pumps, with the fuel index rising by 18.2% month-on-month, the steepest increase since the current CPI series began in 2008. Petrol prices increased by 15.2%, while diesel surged by 35.4%.

Inland 93-octane petrol rose from R20.19 per litre in March to R23.25 in April, recording one of the largest increases in five decades. Diesel users were even harder hit, with prices climbing from R21.28 to R28.80 per litre.

Transport costs also increase

Transport costs also climbed, with the passenger transport services index increasing by 3.1% between March and April, the largest monthly rise since July 2022. Airfares rose sharply for a second consecutive month, increasing by 24.5% following a 14.3% jump in March. This marks the biggest monthly increase in air ticket prices since March 2008.

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