A man following the market pattern online/FILE
JOHANNESBURG, Apr 17 – Inflation in South Africa remained at the perilously high level of 5.9 percent in March, official data showed Wednesday.
Amid fears Africa’s largest economy is edging towards stagflation — high prices and slow growth — Statistics South Africa reported that the consumer price index was unchanged from February.
At 5.9 percent, year-on-year inflation is right at the upper limit to the South African Reserve Bank’s target band, limiting the bank’s ability to boost the economy though interest rate cuts.
On Tuesday, central bank governor Gill Marcus issued a blunt warning that the stagflationary spiral must be stopped.
“If you’ve got slowing growth and rising inflation, it’s not a place you want to be in,” she told parliament, according to local media.
The South African economy is expected to grow by a modest 2.8 percent this year, well below the African average and compared with Nigeria’s 7.2 percent growth or neighbouring Mozambique’s 8.4 percent clip.
Africa’s largest economy has been hit by violent labour unrest, heightened political risk and a slowdown in key eurozone export markets.
