With inflation on the increase and interest rates taking a hike every few months, the average consumer is starting to feel the pinch.
It’s evident every time we have to spend a few extra hundred rands on the same grocery basket we bought a few weeks ago.
And things don’t seem to be looking up, either. A basic food staple like chicken has always been a trusted go-to when times are tough. Not anymore.
MaMhlanga Nompumelelo recently shared a post on Twitter with a photo taken at her local Spar, showing a whole fresh chicken retailing for about R103.
She captioned the post, “I couldn’t believe my eyes..”, and neither could her fellow online users.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.. 👀 pic.twitter.com/fG0EiPJGLj
— MaMhlanga Nompumelelo (@Mpumiln) August 19, 2023
When a tweep commented, “Soon we won’t afford anything,” Nompumelelo responded, saying: “We are barely coping.”
That was the consensus with many on the thread. While some made light of it and joked about the price of chicken, others were just sick and tired.
Chicken Skins fam, fry them crispy 😭😭😭
— MaMhlanga Nompumelelo (@Mpumiln) August 19, 2023
The reason for poultry prices getting a shot in the arm has to do with a 12-month suspension on anti-dumping duties for bone-in chicken from five countries coming to an end.
The knock-on effect of this are massive price hikes.
Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Ebrahim Patel made the announcement earlier this month, adding that he had approved the International Trade Administration Commission’s (ITAC) recommendation to impose anti-dumping duties.
Some duties are as high as 265 percent on imports from Brazil, 67.4 percent on Denmark, 85.8 percent on Spain, 96.9 percent on Poland and 158.4 percent on Ireland.
Maybe it’s time to rethink our grocery haul. As one online user suggested, “Beef bones are R10 per packet and cabbage is around R15-R20.”
IOL