South Africa’s producer price inflation accelerated to 6.2% in September 2026, up from 5% in August and above market expectations of 5.7%. This was the first increase in producer price inflation following three consecutive monthly declines.
The strongest upward pressure came from coal and petroleum products, where prices rose 32.9% year-on-year, compared with 20.9% in August. Within this category, diesel prices surged 51.8% (up from 31.9%), and petrol prices climbed 28.2% (from 20.9%).
Other notable positive contributors were electrical machinery, communication and metering equipment, with prices up 8.4% (versus 6.4% in August); non-metallic mineral products, up 7% (slightly lower than 8.2% previously); and textiles, clothing and footwear, which maintained a 6.7% increase.
By contrast, prices continued to decline in some categories, including transport equipment (-1.2% vs -1.7% in August) and food products (-0.3% vs -0.6%).
On a monthly basis, the producer price index rose 1% in September, following a 0.4% decline in the previous month.
