South Africa's inflation for August went slightly up to 6.4 percent, compared with July's reading of 6.3 percent, Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) said on Wednesday.

The increase was mainly a result of upward pressure from food and motor vehicle prices, said StatsSA.

Annual food and beverage inflation, which registered 8.8 percent in June and July, climbed to 9.4 percent in August.

Food inflation has been increasing since December 2013 when it registered at 3.5 percent. Meat and dairy products were the main drivers of food inflation in August. Meat prices returned to their inflationary trend after a brief pause in July, increasing by one percent between July and August while July's comparable figure was- 0.3 percent.

Milk and cheese prices increased by 2.0 percent and 3.3 percent respectively between July and August, following an average increase of 1.6 percent between June and July. The milk, eggs and cheese index showed an annual increase of 12.7 percent.

While petrol prices were unchanged in August, prices of new vehicles increased by 1.2 percent from the previous month. They now show an 8.1 percent annual inflation rate – the highest annual increase for new cars since December 2009.

This increase follows recent press statements by vehicle manufacturers and retailers that prices would gradually rise to compensate for currency depreciation over this year. Endi

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