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Food prices are rising as South Africa approaches the holiday season, according to new data from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PEJDG).
Their data from the last three months show that the average cost of the household food basket has increased by R161.89 or 4.2%, bringing the total cost of the basket in November to 4018.22 R.
The Household Food Basket tracks 44 staples that women living in low-income households tell us they taste and buy each month.
Food prices are collected by women directly from the shelves of retailers targeting the low-income market in Soweto and Alexandra, in Khayelitsha and Gugulethu, in KwaMashu and Umlazi, among others.
These increases in the prices of basic foodstuffs on the carts of most South Africans are alarming, especially as the holiday season approaches and the reopening dates of schools have been pushed back to January 27, 2021. ” January is a month that extends like a mirage, ”said the PEJDG.
“Our data at the household level continues to show a picture of increasing hunger, debt, unemployment, violence, poverty and inequality. The dish looks increasingly bad as the pale starches crowd out all color and protein. Health and well-being continue to deteriorate. Our health, education, economic and social outcomes continue to unravel. “
Furthermore, he called on the government to shift its focus from creating jobs for the few to supporting the livelihoods of the many. “Even if the government could pull the rabbit out of the hat, the few thousand temporary jobs are not an adequate response to the family affordability and economic crisis faced by more than 11.1 million South Africans at the family level.
“Supporting households to create their own work, even at the level of short-term survival activities, through direct income transfers is likely to generate much more favorable outcomes for millions of South African households, while also acting to boost a higher growth and an economy transformed from scratch. “
Key facts summary
The main findings from the Household Affordability Index for November 2020, which now tracks food price data from 44 supermarkets and 30 butchers in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Springbok and Pietermaritzburg, show that:
- Month by month (between October 2020 and November 2020), the average cost of the household food basket increased by R101.50 (2.6%).
- In the last three months (September 2020 to November), the average cost of the household food basket increased by R 161.89 (4.2%).
- In November 2020, the cost of Joburg’s household food basket was R4,054.94.
- The cost of the Durban household food basket was R 4,022.78.
- The cost of the Cape Town household food basket was R3,975.28.
- The cost of the Springbok household food basket was R4,425.03.
The main foods that are driving the largest increases in the last three months are still the staples that women buy first: corn flour (6%), rice (1%), pastry flour (2%), white sugar (2 %), broad beans (23%), samp (6%), cooking oil (2%), potatoes (35%), white and whole wheat bread (4% and 3%).
At an average cost of R2,167.41 in November 2020, these staples are relatively very expensive relative to the total money available in the household purse to buy food. These foods have increased by R70.89 (3.4%) during the last month; and R101.70 (4.9%) during the last three months.
“These foods must be purchased regardless of price escalations. The high cost of basic staples causes many suitable nutritious foods to be removed from the family plate with negative consequences for the overall health and well-being of the household, ”said PEJDG.
He noted that the National Minimum Wage for a general worker in November 2020 is 3.487.68 R. The average cost of the household food basket of R4,018.22 is well above the affordability thresholds for families living with low income.
“Underpaid workers don’t even earn enough to pay for a basket of food for their families, this even before deducting the fare for transportation to and from work and electricity, among a myriad of other critical expenses,” he said.
In November 2020, the average cost of feeding a child a basic nutritious diet cost R713.51, the PEJDG said. The child support subsidy of R440 per month is 25% below the food poverty line of R585 per capita and an additional 38% below the November cost of R713.51 to feed a child a basic nutritious diet .
Household food index: all areas, by food prioritized and bought first
Read: Food prices rise again in South Africa, much earlier than expected
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