By Pali Lehohla

“Better data, better lives”, is the commitment from official statistics organisations across the world as part of celebrating World Statistics Day, October 20 2015.  Guided by the Fundamental Priniciples of Official Statistics and the call from United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon that “statistics are critical for evidence-based decision making across all cultural and historical backgrounds of countries and irrespective of their level of development.”

Statistics should inform policy direction and in the case of South Africa statistical data are instrumental in tracking progress towards the realisation of the NDP 2030 goals. Tracking progress will rely heavily on statistical data that can encourage policy review and adjustment where applicable, statistical data becomes redundant if they are not able to shape policy imperatives. Statistics South Africa produces statistical data to guide almost every key deliverable contained in the NDP and this is also available to institutions that have the mandate to see through the implementation thereof.

The Citizen Satisfaction Survey currently on field in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is one example of the state taking advantage of the capabilities at its disposal to afford its citizens the opportunity to give their opinion on the effectiveness in improving their lives in the province. This survey is being conducted at the behest of the premier of KZN, the honourable Senzo Mchunu.  The survey seeks to engage citizens on the levels of satisfaction with regard to service delivery by government departments in the province. It will also serve as an indicator on governance efficiency for Goal 6 (i.e. Governance) of the Provincial Growth and Development Plan (PGDP). The results of the Citizen Satisfaction Survey (CSS) in KwaZulu-Natal will help the Office of the Premier to make informed decisions to improve the lives of the citizen of KZN.

Stats SA continues to actively engage the international statistics fraternity around issues related to the Data Revolution, which is a term coined to describe the latest trends in technology that include among others deploying mobile and hand held devices, satellite imagery and advocates the use of technologies to improve and make data collection more affordable. Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI), which is characterised by real-time data capturing of respondent information onto a device (such as a laptop, PDA, cellphone, etc.) by a fieldworker instead of using a paper questionnaire, is one of the latest data collection technologies adopted by Stats SA. The CSS in KZN provided an opportunity for Stats SA to use the CAPI method for the first time in the country. The CAPI will also be used next year to collect data when the second Community Survey (CS 2016) is conducted.

The work that Stats SA does rely on efficient stakeholder mobilisation and as an example the success of the declaration of 2015 to 2024 as the Decade of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics. This is to ensure that every birth and death is registered, including the causes of these deaths, which cannot be realised without efficient administration record keeping by the departments of health and home affairs. Tourism statistics also relies on the efficient data coding by the department of home affairs, which collects this data at the entry points to the country.

Stats SA does not shy away from the need to invest in human capital development hence its participation on the Centre for Regional and Urban Innovation and Statistical Exploration (CRUISE) in Stellenbosch, where senior management and subject specialist are selected and enrolled on the programme to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to produce quality statistics

The media, academia and other producers of statistics remain powerful societal influencers as citizens looks up to different producers of data to satisfy their need for information and in this way to hold government to account. It is however essential to remember that Stats SA is the only producer of official statistics in the country, and it performs this important task through the continued engagement with different stakeholders and partners. This is crucial to ensure that there is a relationship of trust between the organisation and its stakeholders in their entirety.

That the statistics are trustworthy is an imperative prescribed by the guiding principles that govern statistics agencies and to which Stats SA subscribes, namely – the UN Fundamental Principles for Official Statistics, as well as the recently produced African Charter on Statistics, but much work still needs to be done around the consolidation of a Strategy for the Harmonisation of Statistics in Africa and ensuring that not a single African is left behind. This is the relevance and importance of World Statistics Day.