When assessing the underlying trend in prices, I consider it appropriate to also examine for the time being the CPI (all items less energy), given that price fluctuations of energy items since 2014 have been exerting a significant effect on the year-on-year rate of increase in the CPI for all items.
South Africa, though resilient, has not emerged from this turmoil unscathed. At only 0.5%, the rate of growth in gross domestic product last year fell woefully short of the levels needed in a country where poverty and joblessness remain widespread and where tackling these issues remain priorities for all of us.