Despair looms as food prices soar

It is shocking to realise that the price of the average household food basket increased by 2.3% in the past month – from R4 219.48 to R4 317.56 – and by more than R400 (or 10.2%) from a year ago.

This shows, clearly, that national inflation is increasing.

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Officially, it is still under 5% but, as the food basket figures – prepared by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group – show, the experience of ordinary South Africans is a world away from the statistics.

As if that is not enough, there was a massive increase in fuel prices from midnight last night, which will take the cost of fuel to an unprecedented R20 a litre for some formulations.

Inevitably, that will turbocharge the inflationary cycle… and the little guys in the middle will get squeezed even more.

It is at a time like this – when unemployment is soaring and hunger is spreading – that the theft of billions of taxpayer money assumes an even more ominous position.

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That money could have been used to pay for social support programmes – programmes which stabilise communities.

Hungry people are angry people. And as the looting and riots proved in July, despair and fury can quickly turn into anarchy.