Filling your tank costs you more

Filling your tank costs you more

Over the past 12 months, the petrol price has increased by R2,49. This translates to an extra R124,50 to fill a 50 litre tank. The annual inflation rate for petrol is 23%, the highest since December 2011, when it was 26,3%. This is just one of the factors which led to the annual CPI inflation   read more »


Provision of basic services at local government level increases

Provision of basic services at local government level increases

The provision of basic services such as water went up by 6,4% between 2011 and 2012 nationally. The highest provincial increases were recorded in Western Cape (19,6%) and Gauteng (7,2%). The extent of service delivery at local government level is normally obtained from households through population censuses and general household surveys. However, the suppliers (the   read more »


Inflation up to 6,3%

The annual inflation rate jumped to 6,3% in July from the 5,5% recorded in June. This is the first time since April 2012 that the CPI has strayed outside of the inflation target band. The increase in the annual rate was almost totally due to the 84c/l increase in the petrol price which resulted in   read more »


Education is key to better labour market outcomes

Employment increased by 100 000 between the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2013. Despite this, the increase in unemployment by 122 000 resulted in an increase of 0,4 of a percentage point in the unemployment rate – from 25,2% to 25,6% between the two quarters. Year-on-year, employment rose by 274 000 while unemployment rose by 254 000. Education plays   read more »


The annual CPI inflation rate dipped by 0,1% to 5,5% in June 2013

Food inflation recorded its fourth successive year on year increase and is now at its highest point for the year.  The inflationary pressures are distributed across a range of food groups, with processed food reflecting a higher rate of inflation at 7,6% compared to processed food at 6,3%.   Prices of alcoholic beverages dropped on average by 0,3%   read more »


What is GDP and its impact?

What is GDP and its impact?

Government and all businesses, from small to multinational, need the facts on the economy that this release provides. Aneen Jordaan reports The gross domestic product (GDP) of a country is one of the main indicators used to measure the performance of a country’s economy. The Macmillan dictionary defines economy as the system by which a   read more »


The power of place: My suburb, my township, my village

Silvertown is a township in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape named after all the silver zinc shacks used as housing in the area. After the Census 2011 place name data was released in the township in April 2013, the media reported Silvertown to be the worst place to live in South Africa. The census data provides   read more »


The world of work

The world of work

Labour market information relates to three groups of individuals, those that are employed, those that are unemployed and those that are not economically active (e.g. homemakers, retirees and full-time students who do not wish to work). The most recent QLFS results show that in the first quarter of 2013, of the total population in the   read more »


What are South Africans dying of?

What are South Africans dying of?

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has released a report dealing with Mortality and Causes of Death in South Africa. The release is based on data obtained from deaths that occurred in 2010 and were registered at the Department of Home Affairs.             Starting in 2007, less people have been dying   read more »


What is the Consumer Price Index?

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures monthly changes in prices for a range of consumer products. Changes in the CPI record the rate of inflation. The CPI can also be used as a cost-of-living index. HOW IS THE CPI MEASURED? The prices of goods and services consumed by South Africans are used to calculate an   read more »