Image: Allmanhall
Local – Advocacy Coordinator at Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group, Sibusiso Mboto, is calling on government to intervene in food pricing as record fuel costs place further strain on households that were already struggling.
South Africa’s petrol price has moved above R30 a litre, driven partly by high international oil prices and pressure on the fuel market linked to tensions involving Iran, the United States and the Strait of Hormuz. Mboto said the effects would reach well beyond the forecourt and would be felt across the food chain.
“If you talk about diesel, if you talk about petrol, it’s one of the key inputs in the food ecosystem. Farmers use diesel during the ploughing and harvesting period. It’s also used in agro-processing, and so they will look at offsetting these costs, and they will cascade right up until they reach our retail outlets,” he said.
Families Cut Protein And Vegetables
Low-income households are being forced to turn to starch-based staples such as samp, maize meal and rice, which can last a month, while protein and vegetables are dropped from their shopping.
Mboto said the organisation had tracked 40 essential food items through its Household Affordability Index since 2018. He said that while bumper harvests had pointed to steady food inflation early this year, the cumulative effect of rising fuel prices began to show from April.
“You’re going to have overweight kids. You’re going to have kids whose growth is stunted. You have an overweight 11-year-old, and you wonder how did we get here?” he said.
Lost Refinery Capacity Leaves Country Exposed
South Africa once relied on local refineries to hold crude oil reserves that cushioned the country at crucial times, but these were allowed to disintegrate, leaving consumers exposed to movements in global energy markets.
Mboto said the pressure was likely to remain until an agreement between the US, Israel and Iran was signed. He said there was always money within government if departments spent properly, and called on the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition to investigate whether prices were being manipulated, referring to reports of raw rice being sold by the bowl.
“It strips you of your dignity. So government needs to step in and ensure that the pricing of food items is not left at the hands of big supermarket chains because those are always going to be driven by the profit motive even under very difficult circumstances,” he said.
