Empty stomachs, empty classrooms: Investment in school feeding schemes The South African government spent R8,4 billion in 2022/23 on its nationwide school feeding scheme. Recent data provides a provincial breakdown, as well as how this spending has shifted over the years. South Africa’s school-nutrition programme In 1994, the South African government established the National School Nutrition   read more »

In 2022/23, 19 418 reported cases of common assault and assault with GBH crimes were committed against children, making up about 45,0% of all reported crimes against children in this period. Rape was the most reported crime against children, accounting for 38,3% of all cases involving minors. Although the number of incidents has decreased, it   read more »

According to the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES, Q2:2024) survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), total employment in the formal non-agricultural sector increased by 42 000 in the second quarter of 2024, bringing the level of employment to 10,7 million. According to the survey 144 000 jobs were lost between June 2023 and June 2024.   read more »

Consumer inflation slowed for a third consecutive month, cooling to 4,4% in August from 4,6% in July. This is the lowest inflation print since April 2021 when the rate was also 4,4%. Lower annual rates were recorded for several product groups, most notably transport, housing, and restaurants & hotels. In contrast, inflation for food & non-alcoholic   read more »

For the fourth consecutive month, fuel prices have been steadily declining after a period of sharp increases. The rising costs of fuel during the earlier months of the year dealt a major blow to many motorists. On 4 September 2024, the price of both grades of fuel decreased by 92 cents per litre, while diesel   read more »

According to the Recorded Live Births data released by Statistics South Africa, a total of 932 138 births were registered with the Department of Home Affairs in 2023. Of these, 848 337 (91,0%) were for births that occurred in 2023, while 83 801 (9,0%) were late registrations of births from previous years. This distinction between   read more »

The electricity, gas & water supply industry was the star performer in the second quarter of 2024, according to the latest gross domestic product (GDP) data. The industry grew by 3,1% compared with the first quarter, driven by increased electricity generation and water distribution. If we ignore the topsy-turvy economic environment caused by the pandemic   read more »

The South African economy strengthened by 0,4%1 in the second quarter (April–June) of 2024. The finance, manufacturing, trade, and electricity, gas & water supply industries drove most of the economy’s momentum on the production (supply) side. On the expenditure (demand) side, household consumption, government consumption and a build-up in inventories contributed favourably to growth. Seven   read more »

The latest set of economic indicators paint a preliminary picture of economic performance in the second quarter (April–June). The quarter in a nutshell Several sectors enjoyed positive gains in the second quarter of 2024 compared with the first quarter of 2024. These include manufacturing, electricity generation, construction (buildings reported as completed to larger municipalities), wholesale   read more »