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[QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 71235, member: 636"]
South African consumer price growth accelerated to 3.6 percent from the previous month's 3.4 percent reading, moving further from the central bank's preferred lower bound within its inflation target corridor. Statistics South Africa attributed the increase primarily to housing and utilities expenses, which surged 4.5 percent annually and contributed 1.2 percentage points to the overall rate, driven by electricity tariff hikes of 12.7 percent and water supply cost increases of 6.8 percent.

Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation moderated to 3.9 percent despite elevated meat prices resulting from livestock disease outbreaks, including avian influenza and foot-and-mouth infections affecting supply chains. Core inflation excluding volatile categories declined slightly to 3.1 percent, suggesting price pressures remain concentrated rather than widespread.

The acceleration diminishes prospects for monetary policy easing ahead of the Reserve Bank's upcoming rate decision, with analysts anticipating unchanged borrowing costs at 8.25 percent as officials prioritize currency stability and sustainable economic expansion.
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