Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
25 April 2024 | 12:35 p.m. SAST
2-minute read

Image: New Food Magazine

Grocery trips to the supermarket are having increasingly enormous consequences for many households in South Africa, particularly for vulnerable communities.

Sibusiso Mboto, advocacy coordinator of the Petermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group, discusses factors contributing to the escalation in the average cost of the household food basket on Radio Islam International.

Mboto cites several key factors that impact food prices, including import costs, logistical expenses, and supply and demand for consumables.

Despite occasional decreases in certain food prices, the overall impact remains obscured by the country’s inflation rate and other economic factors, perpetuating South Africa’s status as one of the most unequal societies globally.

“In April, for instance, there are some food items that have gone down. We’re looking at potatoes. Potatoes have gone down, fish has gone down, apples and oranges have also gone down. Frozen chicken portions, curry powder, full cream milk has also gone down. However, because of the inflation rate in the country, and other costs that are there, you just don’t get to see the effects of such a decrease. This is where you see why South Africa is regarded as one of the most unequal societies in the world,” Mboto notes.

Johannesburg emerged as the hardest-hit region, attributed to its distance from key ports and the resultant logistical costs incurred in transporting imported goods.

The severe impact on the city, which is the economic hub of the country, is a matter of concern and can have potential knock-on effects on South Africa’s economic stability.

“[This] is worrying, because Johannesburg is the economic hub of the country. If people in the economic hub are going to battle to get a nutritious plate of food for family members, on a daily basis for the entire month, then you can just imagine how that affects the economic structure in the country as a whole. So our observation was that the food basket in Johannesburg increased by R224,” Mboto notes.

Child support grants do not increase at a rate fast enough to keep up with rising food prices, making it difficult for low-income households to provide nutritious meals for South African children.

Mboto expresses the need for a long-term commitment to child nutrition, akin to the focused efforts during the 2010 World Cup. He highlights the importance of aligning resources and energy towards achieving tangible progress in combating child malnutrition over the next decade.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat here.