Category Archives: Government finances

Seasonal adjustment: a short primer

Seasonal adjustment: a short primer

Stats SA has, for the first time, included seasonally adjusted data in its Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities. What is seasonal adjustment? Why is it significant? Stats SA breaks it down for you. South Africa’s 257 municipalities play a vital role. Not only do they interact with citizens at a local level, but they are   read more »


Media release: Quarterly Financial Statistics of Municipalities December 2016

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                           30 March 2017 Quarterly Financial Statistics of Municipalities December 2016 According to the latest Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) today, purchases of water by South African municipalities decreased by 1,8% between the quarters ended September 2016 and December 2016. Electricity purchases by municipalities over the same   read more »


Media advisory: The state of basic service delivery in South Africa & Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities

Media advisory                                                                                               28 March 2017 Statistician-General to release reports on financial statistics of municipalities and the state of basic service delivery The Statistician-General of South Africa, Dr Pali Lehohla, will release reports on the quarterly financial statistics of municipalities and the state of basic service delivery in South Africa at a media   read more »


How non-profit institutions survive

How non-profit institutions survive

Some striking charts show how non-profit institutions (NPIs) in South Africa keep themselves afloat. Stats SA’s latest Statistics of the non-profit sector for South Africa report, released earlier this week, provides a range of data on the non-profit sector, including data on where NPIs source their income. The images below show how the major sources   read more »


Municipal spending in the third quarter

Municipal spending in the third quarter

Municipalities in South Africa spent a total of R73,1 billion during the September quarter of 2016. Stats SA’s latest Quarterly Financial Statistics of Municipalities report1 provides an overview of how this money was spent. More than half of municipal expenditure during the September 2016 quarter was on two items: electricity (28,0%) and employee-related costs (27,8%).   read more »


How important is your tax money?

How important is your tax money?

With the income tax return deadline looming, you might be wondering how important your tax contributions have been. A recent report by Stats SA provides an answer. The South African government earned R1,22 trillion in income during the 2014/15 fiscal year, according to Stats SA’s latest Financial statistics of consolidated general government report1. If this   read more »


Media Statement: Financial Statistics of higher education institutions

Media advisory                                                                                                    25 October 2016     Financial statistics of higher education institutions, 2015   The Financial statistics of higher education institutions, 2015 report released by Statistics South Africa today shows that South Africa’s public higher education institutions had a total income of R63,1 billion from operating activities in the financial year ended 31 December   read more »


How important are student fees?

How important are student fees?

Armed with a wealth of recent financial data from South Africa’s higher education institutions, Stats SA unpacks the revenue mix for the country’s 20 universities and 6 universities of technology. Higher education institutions depend mostly on government grants and tuitions fees for income, according to data from Stats SA’s latest Financial statistics of higher education   read more »


Electricity pushes up municipal spending in the June 2016 quarter

Electricity pushes up municipal spending in the June 2016 quarter

Total expenditure by municipalities increased by 21,9% (or R15,7 billion) in the June 2016 quarter compared with the March 2016 quarter, rising from R71,7 billion to R87,5 billion. Purchases of electricity by municipalities was one of the biggest contributors to this increase, according to Stats SA’s latest Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities report1.   Acting   read more »


You can’t teach a hungry child: school nutrition in focus

You can’t teach a hungry child: school nutrition in focus

School feeding programmes contribute to the well-being and education of children, according to the United Nations World Food Programme1. Stats SA takes a look at data on hunger in South Africa and explores the reach and cost of South Africa’s National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP). South Africans are less hungry than they were 13 years   read more »