The Consumer Price Index (CPI) had a major increase from 4.0% in April 2026, up from 3.1% in March 2026 driven by rising fuel costs. This was the biggest increase in inflation since August 2024.
South Africa’s annual consumer price inflation (CPI) accelerated sharply to 4.0% in April 2026 from 3.1% in March, and slightly above the expected 3.9%, driven mainly by a massive surge in fuel prices, according to the latest data from Statistics South Africa.
The increase marked the biggest jump in inflation since August 2024, when headline inflation reached 4.4%, and moved further away from the South African Reserve Bank’s 3% inflation target.
StatsSA chief director of price statistics, Patrick Kelly, said the sharp rise was largely due to soaring fuel costs.
“The index for fuel rose by 18.2% from March, the steepest monthly increase since the current CPI increase series started in 2008," Kelly said.
