It’s hard to believe that 2012 is behind us, the Libyan civil war has ended, and South Africa has managed to host the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) at such short notice. As we convey our complements of the new season with the first issue of Mbalo Brief in 2013, we would like to also remind you that ‘time flies’

and to urge you to plan your year’s activities now.

Planning is a process that is undertaken in most areas of life. In government, for planning to be effective it has to be supported by sound evidence-based data such as the information collected during the census. The census data not only enables government to plan and budget for services, it is also vital to the trade

sectors for business planning. This month’s issue of Mbalo Brief marks the beginning of a series of educational articles whose aim is to give a detailed overview of Census 2011 results – one province at a time.

In this issue of Mbalo Brief, we bring you an educational article on the results with an exclusive focus on Gauteng province. The article discusses the province’s demographics; from population size, migration patterns, to the composition of the population by age and gender. It also presents data on access to basic services and employment rate, among others.

Our regular articles on the performance of various sectors of our economy are also featured in this issue. These articles present data on how sectors such as mining, retail trade, motor trade and wholesale trade, among others, performed during the festive season.

Statistics presented in this issue were sourced from statistical releases published in January and February 2013 with results for surveys conducted in November and December 2012. To read detailed results for any industry please access the relevant statistical releases by visiting our website at www.statssa.gov.za

Enjoy!

Download – Mbalo_Brief_Feb_2013