Independent economist Elise Kruger says the softening in January consumer price inflation (CPI) is good news for struggling families.
The CPI softened in January, falling to 3.5% from 3.6% in December. Statistics South Africa released data on Wednesday that shows the CPI is back to November 2025 levels.
This is due to food inflation steady at 4.4% for the third consecutive month and low fuel prices.
Kruger says this development will soon bring more benefits to consumers.
“Inflation remained well under control at the start of the year, with headline inflation coming in at 3.5%, slightly down from 3.6% in December and core inflation reaching 3.4% in January compared to 3.3% in December. Overall, inflation remains well within the Reserve Bank's tolerance band, 3%+one, and from that perspective, there is no upward pressure on interest rates. If anything, there is still room for further reduction in interest rates, and we should expect to see further interest rate cuts planned over the next six months.''
#SAinflation || Annual consumer price inflation softened in January, falling to 3.5% from 3.6% in December.
Listen here for more: https://t.co/EaOZIKdaTN#statisticsSA #KnowYourStatsZA #CPI #GovZAupdates pic.twitter.com/dpRDjxElKe
– Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) (@StatsSA) 18 February 2026