Monthly Archives: March 2019

Four facts about our provincial economies

Four facts about our provincial economies

Each province is unique. Data published recently by Stats SA provide a portrait of South Africa’s provincial economies. Here are four facts you might not have known about our economic landscape.   Fact #1 Gauteng is South Africa’s economic powerhouse Don’t let Gauteng’s size on a map fool you. It might be the province with   read more »


Formal business turnover climbs by 5,5%

Formal business turnover climbs by 5,5%

The South African formal business sector1 generated R2,57 trillion in turnover in the fourth quarter of 2018. This translates to about R323 600 generated every second from October 2018 to December 2018. The R2,57 trillion was 5,5% more than the R2,44 trillion generated in the third quarter (July 2018 to September 2018). This follows a rise of 3,6% in the third quarter and   read more »


Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                             28 March 2019 Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017 There has been an increase in higher education participation rates in South Africa, however, the poor transition of learners from the further training and education (FTE) phase to completion of Grade 12, to writing and passing the   read more »


More than half of youth have no money to pay for their tuition

More than half of youth have no money to pay for their tuition

More than half (or 51%) of youth aged 18–24 claimed that they did not have the financial means to pay for their tuition. Furthermore, 18% of those aged 18–24 who were not attending educational institutions indicated that their poor academic performance prevented them from participating. This is according to the “Higher Education and Skills in   read more »


How financially independent are municipalities?

How financially independent are municipalities?

Spending and income play an important role in determining local government’s ability to deliver services. The ability of a municipality to generate its own income is an important sign of its independence. The Quarterly Financial Statistics of Municipalities (QFSM) survey collects data on municipal operating expenditures and incomes on a quarterly basis. The December 2018   read more »


SA formal sector jobs increased in the fourth quarter of 2018

SA formal sector jobs increased in the fourth quarter of 2018

The December 2018 QES survey showed that an estimated 10 151 000 people were employed in the formal non-agricultural sector of the South African economy, which is up by 87 000 from 10 064 000 in the previous quarter. The number of people working part-time increased by 37 000 to 1 065 000 in the   read more »


Statistics South Africa to release the ‘Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017’

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                                   22 March 2019   Statistics South Africa to release the ‘Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017’ Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) will release the results of a thematic report on education “Education Series Volume V Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017” on Thursday, 28   read more »


Statistics South Africa to release formal sector employment statistics for the fourth quarter of 2018

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                                             20 March 2019 Statistics South Africa to   read more »


Medical aid and transport costs nudge inflation higher

Medical aid and transport costs nudge inflation higher

Consumer inflation edged up slightly from 4,0% in January 2019 to 4,1% in February 2019, remaining firmly within the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) inflation target range of 3%–6%. Notable drivers behind the rise were medical insurance and transport costs. Stats SA surveys health insurance fees in February of each year. On average, medical-aid schemes   read more »


Mbalo Brief – March 2019

In the past few months, many companies such as hotels, restaurants and coffee shops started switching from plastic straws to paper straws as a response to the public outcry demanding action against the continued use of plastic straws. Even though this small straw may not seem like a lot at first, when its usage is   read more »