South Africa
Official title
Consumer Price Index.
Scope
The index is computed monthly and relates to all population groups in 12
urban areas.
Official base
1985 = 100.
Source of weights
The weights and selected items were derived from a household expenditure
survey conducted in November 1985.
Weights and composition
| Major groups
| Number of items
| Weights
| Approximate number of price quotations
|
| Food
| 88 | 22.72 | ...
|
| Drinks, alcoholic drinks and tobacco
| 8 | 2.84 | ...
|
| Clothing and footwear
| 55 | 5.98 | ...
|
| Housing:
|
| Rent
| 2 | 5.88 | ...
|
| Home-owners' costs
| 7 | 13.91 | ...
|
| Other (incl. water)
| 3 | 1.41 | ...
|
| Fuel and light
| 6 | 2.44 | ...
|
| Furniture and household equipment
| 29 | 4.72 | ...
|
| Household operations
| 14 | 3.77 | ...
|
| Medical care
| 5 | 2.56 | ...
|
| Transport and communication
| 21 | 18.93 | ...
|
| Education and recreation
| 21 | 4.96 | ...
|
| Personal care
| 12 | 3.08 | ...
|
| Miscellaneous
| 14 | 6.77 | ...
|
| Total
| 285 | 100.00 | ...
|
Household consumption expenditure
Consumption expenditure includes car licence and registration fees,
interest on loans, bank charges, life insurance premiums, endowment
policies, annuities, mortgage debt insurance, membership fees for trade
unions, staff and professional associations, legal and other fees for
professional services.
Certain types of expenditure are not taken into account for the
purposes of the Consumer Price Index, e.g. income tax, contributions to
pension and provident funds.
Method of data collection
Prices are collected by postal questionnaires from a representative
sample of retail outlets and service establishments in different areas,
or from other organisations, associations or public bodies. Prices of
vegetables and fruit are obtained from the Division of Agricultural
Marketing Research of the Department of Agricultural Economics and
Marketing, which collects prices each week.
For most other food items, as well as for clothing, fuel and washing
and cleaning materials, prices are collected each month. Prices for
furniture and equipment, personal care requisites, stationery, etc.,
prices are collected every three months. Certain price information is
obtained once a year or as often as price changes occur.
Price information for all items except for fruit and vegetables
refers to the first seven days of the relevant months.
Housing
Rent data are obtained for houses and apartments from the annual survey
conducted by the Department of Statistics. Home-owner costs include
interest payments, assessment rates, sanitary service, refuse removal,
insurance of buildings, repairs and maintenance and other ownership
costs.
Specification of varieties
Not available.
Substitution, quality change, etc.
Not available.
Seasonal items
No adjustment is made to seasonal fluctuations in item prices.
Computation
The index is computed according to the Laspeyres formula as a weighted
arithmetic average with fixed base, using weights corresponding to 1985.
The index is computed as the weighted average of separate indices
relating to 12 urban areas.
Other information
Series are also published separately for low-, middle- and high-income
group families for all items excluding housing, for all items excluding
food, for detailed sub-groups and separately for 12 urban areas.
A seasonally adjusted consumer price index and a pensioners' consumer
price index for urban areas are also published.
A new series (base 1990 = 100) is now computed, but the relevant
methodological information was not available in the ILO at the timet the
present volume was published.
Organisation and publication
Central Statistical Service: Bulletin of Statistics
(Pretoria).