JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's annual consumer inflation edged up to 4.4 percent in August from 4.3 percent in July, official data showed Wednesday.
According to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the consumer price index was unchanged month on month.
Housing and utilities and transport were the biggest contributors to annual inflation, rising 5.2 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively. Insurance and financial services increased by 5.7 percent.
Annual inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages rose to 1.1 percent in August from 0.9 percent in July, marking its first increase in nine months. Fish and other seafood inflation accelerated to 7.5 percent from 6.6 percent, while meat price trends were mixed, Stats SA said.
Meanwhile, annual transport inflation eased slightly to 8.8 percent from 8.9 percent in July, mainly due to slower fuel inflation, which declined to 20 percent from 20.6 percent. Petrol prices fell 2 percent month on month, while diesel prices rose 3.1 percent. ■
