Monthly Archives: April 2021

SA tourism industry struggles amidst COVID-19 pandemic

SA tourism industry struggles amidst COVID-19 pandemic

According to the Tourism, 2020 report released by Statistics South Africa, foreign arrivals dropped by 71% from just over 15, 8million in 2019 to less than 5 million in 2020. It is evident that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the tourism industry quite hard around the world and in South Africa, mainly due to the lockdown   read more »


Education inflation the lowest in 30 years

Education inflation the lowest in 30 years

Education inflation recorded its lowest annual rate in three decades, according to data from Stats SA’s latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) release. Stats SA surveys educational institutions and crèches once a year in March. Education fees increased by 4,1% in 2021. Last year’s rise was 6,4%. Historical data shows that this is the lowest increase   read more »


The peaks and troughs of municipal income

The peaks and troughs of municipal income

For many of us who are fortunate enough, things just work. Turn on a tap, and water flows. Flip a switch, and there is light. We often take for granted the extremely complex system that provides us with services every day. Local government is a vital cog in this system. South Africa’s 257 municipalities are   read more »


Mbalo Brief – April 2021

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic has posed some challenges on the education in South Africa and across the globe. Many learners, students, lecturers, teachers and even parents and guardians were forced to transition from the contact (physical classroom) learning environment to virtual learning. Parents and guardians instantly became teachers overnight as they had to assist   read more »


PGM sales surge due to higher prices

PGM sales surge due to higher prices

Like all other commodities, South Africa’s production of platinum group metals (PGMs) was volatile in 2020 as miners tried to navigate the uncertainty and economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a snapshot of how PGM production, prices and sales fared during the year. Supplies were adversely affected by COVID-19 related mine disruptions   read more »


Stats Biz – March 2021

Local government has made strides in providing services, but they are providing less for free. For example, municipalities supplied water to just over 9 million consumer units in 2006, expanding to 13,8 million in 2019. However, the number of consumer units benefiting from free water declined markedly over the same period. Explore service delivery, as   read more »


Stats SA returns to field

More than a year after Stats SA suspended face-to-face data collection due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stats SA Survey Officers (SOs) will return to the field to collect contact details from households that have been selected to participate in one of our household surveys. “We have updated our sample, and need to collect contact details   read more »


Statistics South Africa to resume field visits to ensure data integrity for household surveys amid COVID-19 restrictions

  For immediate release                                                                                                                                                 1 April 2021 Statistics South Africa to   read more »