By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South African retail sales rose 1.6% year on year in June after rising by a revised 2.2% in May, Statistics South Africa figures showed on Wednesday, 19 August 2026.
This means consumers are still spending, but they’re not spending as strongly as they were earlier in the year.
The Stats SA data suggests households may be thinking twice about bigger or discretionary purchases and prioritising what they need over what they want.
The largest positive contributors to this increase were:
- all ‘other’ retailers (7,5% and contributing 0,7 of a percentage point); and
- general dealers (1,8% and contributing 0,5 of a percentage point)
Seasonally adjusted retail trade sales increased by 0,4% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the first quarter of 2026.
The largest positive contributors were:
- food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (2,6% and contributing 0,2 of a percentage point);
- all ‘other’ retailers (1,9% and contributing 0,2 of a percentage point); and
- general dealers (0,4% and contributing 0,2 of a percentage point)
Economists noted that seasonally adjusted sales dropped 0.6% month-on-month, indicating that households are turning more frugal and keeping consumer momentum under pressure.