South Africans will feel the pinch in April: economists Subscribe South African households are likely to start to feeling the pinch from surging petrol and paraffin prices, marked increases in excise duties on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, and below-inflation increases in the monetary values of social grants. Commenting on the latest FNB/BER consumer confidence index (CCI), chief economist at FNB Mamello Matikinca-Ngwenya said that these factors – coupled with the fact that the Social Relief of Distress grant and TERS programme are set to expire at the end of April – have the potential to deflate the confidence levels of less affluent consumers in the coming months.