Bread companies are selling loaves from trucks near Bara taxi rank for R9 to R10, far below the R19 to R24 charged in shops.
Customers say the bread is close to its sell by date, but the lower prices help families who cannot keep up with rising food costs.
Every afternoon, people gather near the robots by Bara taxi rank and wait for bread trucks to arrive.
They come after work or from nearby homes, hoping to buy bread at prices they can still afford.
Customers told Scrolla.Africa they start queueing from about 3.30pm. When the trucks arrive just after 4pm, they can buy a loaf of white bread for R10 and brown bread for R9.
That is far cheaper than the price in retail stores and supermarkets, where bread now costs from R19 to R24 a loaf.
For many families, bread has become one of the few foods they can still buy every day. Some parents said they cannot afford milk and cereal, so they use bread for breakfast and for lunch boxes. They see it as a basic food that is vital, cheap and easy to get.
Customers said the bread sold from the trucks is usually a day or two away from its sell by date. They said shops and local spaza shops return the bread when new daily deliveries arrive.
Stores are allowed to throw away bread and other food that is spoiled, damaged or past its use by date to avoid being blamed if someone gets sick. But many stores choose to donate the food or sell it at lower prices instead.
One customer said this system has brought relief. “Because I can’t afford R560 per month on bread only.”
The pressure on families is growing. In April 2025, bread prices in South Africa rose by 2%. That pushed the cost of a basic food basket up by another R100.
In 2026, economists also warned about rising petrol prices because of wars around the world. Higher transport costs can push up the price of food, and that means bread may become even more expensive.
