Price increases above target include that of going six feet under

IF THE escalating cost of stocking up on meat for a weekend braai is enough to send you in the direction of an early grave, be forewarned – funerals are also becoming more pricey in South Africa.

Statistics South Africa has done an analysis of things that got more expensive in the country between August 2016 and August 2017‚ and more specifically, by 6% or more.

The number-crunching exercise is the flipside of their recent look at what prices dropped during 2017‚ such as the ones for rusks‚ vegetables‚ fruit‚ household appliances and furniture.

“The annual inflation rate for meat climbed to 15% in August 2017‚ which is the highest it has been since December 2011.

“A juicy beef fillet would have set you back R194/kg‚ up from R173/kg in August last year. Over the same period, the average price of a kilogram of beef mince rose by 13.2% (from R68 to R77)‚ and the annual inflation rate for mutton loin chops was 17%‚” said StatsSA.

Apart from meat‚ other food and drink items with prices above target inflation in August 2017 included sugar‚ sweets and desserts (8.1%)‚ hot beverages (mainly tea and coffee) (7.5%)‚ and spirit coolers and ciders (8.1%).

“Medical insurance [medical aid] was above target at 10.3%‚ as were doctors (6.5%)‚ dentists (6.3%) and medicines (7.2%),” said StatsSA.

“All the main education-related categories were above target‚ namely primary and secondary school fees (7.6%)‚ tertiary education fees (6.2%) and university boarding fees (8.5%).”

Funeral services increased by 12% over the period in question.

National Funeral Directors Association inland region chair Mike Collinge said fuel and labour were the items mourners spent most on.

Collinge said‚ “We use big cars to move the coffin in. Families sometimes request up to four vehicles for the family‚ this is apart from a big bus they would hire for the extended family.”

He said families could reduce the costs of a funeral by choosing a coffin for about R6 500‚ as opposed to a casket at about R30 000.

Standard Bank long-term insurance propositions head Felix Kagura‚ urged caution when looking for funeral plans.

“To get more for their money‚ consumers should look for funeral plans that offer benefits over and above the lump sum payout.

“Some examples available in the market include grocery and airtime benefits, all of which can help families cope with the loss of income caused by the death of the main insured member.” — DDC