Media Statement: Statistics South Africa to make changes to CPI basket and weights
Media Statement 21 September 2016 Statistics South Africa to make changes to CPI basket and weights Statistics South Africa today announced that it would make changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket of goods and services, and the weights attached to these, with effect from the January 2017 release of the CPI. read more »
The secret life of a slab of chocolate
You might celebrate World Chocolate Day today (7 July) by sitting back and feasting on your favourite slab of sugary goodness. At Stats SA, we love our chocolate. But we also love data and all things statistical. So, to honour today, we’ve teased out a few facts about the price of chocolate that you, as read more »
South Africa’s CPI reveals how volatile inflation hurts the poorest
Patrick Kelly, Executive Manager for Price Statistics, provides some insights into how inflation affects the most vulnerable. The combined effect of the severe drought and the depreciation of the rand drove annual food inflation to 9,8% in March, its highest level in four years. Periods of high food inflation often spark an outpouring of concern read more »
Stats Biz – April 2016
Many have commented on South Africa’s drought and how rapidly food prices have been rising. The latest release of Stats SA’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) unpacks the South African food basket to examine which items might be contributing to your rising grocery bill. Explore food prices, as well as other economic stories, in this edition read more »
The economics of Christmas
The economics of Christmas: disrupting the normal You are looking for a Christmas gift for Aunt Edna. As you browse the aisles, you think of how much you are looking forward to the trip down to the coast. December is an unusual time for the country economically. Monthly statistics on the economy clearly show how read more »
Break of Embargo for GDP estimates of the fourth quarter of 2015
BREAK OF EMBARGO Media Announcement 1 March 2016 Break of Embargo for GDP estimates of the fourth quarter of 2015 As the official statistics agency of South Africa, Statistics South Africa is guided by the 10 fundamental principles of official statistics. Principle 1 that deals with “relevance, impartiality and equal access” requires that care is read more »
Mbalo Brief – February 2016
Some parts of South Africa have experienced severe drought due to shortage of rainfall. According to the South African Weather Services (SAWS), the lowest annual total rainfall over the full 112-year period has been the January to December 2015 period. This period recorded an annual total of only 403 millimeters of rainfall. Government declared Mpumalanga, read more »
It’s cheaper in the Western Cake #WorldCakeDay
In honour of cake day on 26 November, we are taking a fresh look at the latest price data of this popular dessert. Stats SA published a story on the price of cake in July 2015, we now look at how prices have changed since then. Interestingly, there hasn’t been any big changes. The average read more »
Where not to have your cake and eat it
Digging a little deeper into the latest consumer price data shows how you can make informed choices about your sweet tooth. If you love to have cake on a regular basis, it might be interesting to know that you are now paying almost 30% more for a cake than you did in June 2010. The read more »
Mbalo Brief – July 2015
Every year on 18 July, schoolchildren, public servants, business people, organisations and men and women from all walks of life, devote 67 minutes of their time to a community service activity. This is in commemoration of the 67 years that the late Nelson Mandela spent fighting for human rights and social justice. Over the years, read more »