Western Cape Scores SA Braai Bragging Rights (But at What Cost?)

There is good news and bad news for Western Cape braai lovers.

The good news is that the Western Cape ranks first in "braai-pensity"—the sheer volume of braai activity going on compared to other provinces. The bad news is that the cost of hosting that braai has gone up by approximately 35% since January 2021.

This is according to retail data gathered by Codera Analytics, which regularly publishes insights on the South African economy. The data suggests Western Cape shoppers are doing about twice as much braaiing as those in Gauteng and the Free State.

"We count the percentage of shoppers that bought fire-igniting items (such as wood, firelighters, charcoal, or briquettes) along with at least one braai meat type (such as boerewors, fillet, rump, sirloin, chicken, snoek, ribeye, or lamb) in the same basket at least once a month," Codera writes in its "braai-pensity" blog, published earlier this month. "The Western Cape ranks highest. We observe strong increases during the summer holidays, as well as around National Braai Day."

Sadly, the cost of firing up the coals has climbed significantly over the last five years. The 35% jump is tracked by Codera’s "braai index," which measures the rand retail prices of a standard basket containing braai meats, fire-igniting items, soft drinks, wine, and beer.