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Annual consumer inflation jumped to 7.4% in June from 6.5% in May, the highest in 13 years.
Statistics South Africa said the June rate is the highest reading since May 2009 (8%) when the economy was facing the headwind of currency depreciation during the global financial crisis.
Month on month, CPI, increased by 1.1% between May and June.
Stats SA said June CPI was driven mainly by rising transport and food prices
"Transport goods and services recorded an average annual price increase of 20,0% and a monthly rise of 4,2%. Fuel prices were up by 45.3% in June, representing the largest annual increase for fuel since the current CPI series began in 2009," Stats SA said.
The prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 8.6% year-on-year in June, "the highest annual rate for food and NAB since March 2017 when the country was recovering from severe drought."
"The main groups contributing to high food inflation in June 2022 were bread and cereals, meat, and oils and fats," with bread and cereal products recording an annual rate of 11.2% in June, up from 8,4% in May.
Statistics South Africa said many countries around the globe have experienced rising inflation in recent months, making it a hot topic for debate particularly in the area of monetary policy.