Survive

Low-income families in South Africa pay R350 in VAT on their monthly food basket — more than the cost of a 30kg bag of maize meal.

Drivers will pay one rand forty three cents more for petrol from Wednesday meaning a full tank costs fifty seven rands more this coming month.

A basic monthly food basket costs R5,829 in Mthatha but R5,222 in Cape Town. Researchers say poorer areas pay more because supply chain costs fall hardest on consumers.

Petrol prices rise by R1.43 a litre from Wednesday while diesel drops by more than R3 a litre, with paraffin falling nearly R6 a litre.

FoneYam has 2.4 million active rentals across PEP, Ackermans and Dunns stores, but if you miss a payment your phone locks until you pay up.

A five-piece chicken tray at Spar now comes with four pieces for the same price, meaning families need to spend R177 more a month to get what they used to.

A Cape Town family is spending R190 a week on paraffin after their illegal electricity connection failed and left them in the dark during winter.

Santaco has raised scholar transport fees across uMgungundlovu from 1 June 2026, with some areas paying R100 more, as rising fuel costs from the US-Iran conflict hit 15 million daily taxi commuters.

South Africa's food crisis shows up in two places at once: in the homes of people who work, and in the homes of people who depend on a grant. This month's data shows both are falling short by almost exactly the same amount. These are their numbers.

Codeta has partnered with SA PAY to launch a cashless payment system from 1 June, giving registered drivers a R20,000 death benefit and passengers tiered cover with no premiums required.

Selwyn Hopper managed stores for Mr Price and Markham for years. When his retail career ended, depression followed. Now he is top of his paving class.

Lolo Ndlovu has sent out hundreds of job applications from Kliptown. Mayor Dada Morero named Kliptown in his State of the City Address. She never heard a word of it.