Johannesburg - The headline Consumer Price Index annual inflation rate dropped 0.5 of a percentage point in December to 5.3 percent, Statistics SA said on Wednesday.
The corresponding annual rate in November was 5.8 percent.
“On average, prices decreased by 0.2 percent between November 2014 and December 2014,” Stats SA said.
The food and non-alcoholic beverages index decreased by 0.4 percent between November and December last year. The annual rate decreased to 7.2 percent in December from 7.6 percent in November.
Vegetables, other food, fish, cold beverages, sugar, sweets and desserts, bread and cereals, oils and fats, milk, eggs and cheese and hot beverages decreased. Fruit and meat increased.
The housing and utilities index increased by 0.5 percent between November and December.
Stats SA said this was mainly due to a 0.9 percent increase in actual rentals for housing on a 0.7 percent increase in owners' equivalent rent.
The annual rate decreased to 5.7 percent in December from the 5.8 percent in November.
The transport index decreased by 1.6 percent between November and December. This was mainly due to a 69c/litre drop in the petrol price, Stats SA said.
The annual rate decreased to 1.7 percent in December from 4.2 percent in November. The miscellaneous goods and services index increased by 0.1 percent. The annual rate increased to 7.1 percent in December from 6.9 percent the previous month.
KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Northern Cape, Gauteng, Free State and Mpumalanga had an annual inflation rate lower than or equal to headline inflation.
The Western Cape, Limpopo, and Eastern Cape had an annual inflation rate higher than headline inflation.
Sapa