South African households are running out of room in their monthly budgets as the cost of keeping the lights on, getting to work and putting food on the table consumes an ever-larger share of their income, turning the cost-of-living crisis into a battle over what families can still afford.
The crisis is laid bare by the latest household affordability figures, even as headline inflation appears to be easing.
In August, the average cost of the household food basket was R5 479.80, according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD). While this was 0.9% cheaper than in July, it remained 1.8% higher than a year earlier. Of the 44 foods tracked, 19 increased in price and 25 declined. But for many households, the cost of food is only one part of the squeeze.
The group's director Mervyn Abrahams said families do not receive their salaries and simply divide the money into neat allocations for food, electricity and transport. They pay for what they cannot afford to do without first.
“Households don’t receive income and earmark fixed pots for food. They first pay absolute essentials: rent or bond, electricity, transport.”
