Mbalo Brief – November 2021

On 8 October 2021, the South African government launched a digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate. The COVID-19 vaccine certificate is only available to people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The certificate is meant to enable vaccinated people to provide proof of vaccination status. The vaccination certificate will also help those who are vaccinated to attend   read more »


Mbalo Brief – October 2021

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) is the official agency that measures South Africa’s inflation rate. Up until now, Stats SA has been collecting price information for categories of products typically purchased in retail outlets through field workers who have been using paper questionnaires. However, starting from the first quarter of 2022, Stats SA will be   read more »


Mbalo Brief – September 2021

The year 2020 had been a tough year for tourism industry around the world. According to United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), global tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020, with international arrivals dropping by 74%. The international destinations receiving one billion fewer international arrivals in 2020 than in the previous year, due   read more »


Mbalo Brief – August 2021

Population estimation or projections are important for any country because they help organizations, governments, researchers and policy makers to plan and make decisions about the future of the country. Projections can help these organizations estimate the volume of basic human need such as food, water, sanitation, housing, power and transportations required by the population of   read more »


Mbalo Brief – July 2021

Women and Men in Informal economy: A statistical picture report of International Labour Organisation (ILO) published on 30 April 2018 indicate more than 60% of the world’s employed population earn their livelihoods in the informal economy. According to the report, 2 billion people representing 61,2% of the world’s employed population work in informal employment and   read more »


Mbalo Brief – June 2021

The statistics published in this month’s issue of Mbalo Brief are mostly from March 2021, which marks a year since the start of the lockdown restrictions in South Africa as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the tourism industry is still struggling, partly due to the decrease in the number of international visitors, it   read more »


Mbalo Brief – May 2021

Just over a year after Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) suspended face-toface data collection due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisation issued a note on 26 April 2021 that the surveys are due to be undertaken. The Survey Officers (SOs) have returned to the field to collect data from households that have been selected to   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 »


Mbalo Brief – March 2021

On 14 February 2021, the rand was turning 60 years. The rand was first introduced as a South African currency on 14 February 1961, the year South Africa became a republic and Queen Elizabeth ceased to be head of state. The rand takes its name from the Witwatersrand – the ridge on which Johannesburg is   read more »


Mbalo Brief – February 2021

On 21 January 2021, the country received the sad news of the passing of Minister in the Presidency, Mr Jackson Mthembu due to COVID-19 complications. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) was one of the government departments that the Minister was responsible for. According to the Statistician-General (Head of Statistics South Africa) Mr Risenga Maluleke, the   read more »