JOHANNESBURG, April 19 (Reuters) - South African inflation rose for the second month in a row in March to 7.1% year on year, driven by a steep increase in food prices, data showed on Wednesday. Economists said the pickup in inflation, from 7.0% in February, meant the central bank would probably raise interest rates again next month. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has hiked interest rates nine times in a row since November 2021 to try to tame inflation. First National Bank senior economist Koketso Mano said it appeared that power constraints were exacerbating local food inflation. Consumer inflation rose to 1.0% month on month in March from 0.7% in February.

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