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 »
Rising food prices: where are the most vulnerable?
A growing number of forecasts reveal that food prices might rise sharply in coming months. Survey data show which parts of the country are most vulnerable. Current data point to an agriculture industry that is struggling. During November 2015, in the midst of South Africa’s worst drought in 23 years, Stats SA released gross domestic 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 »
Enjoy your pint, but be aware of price…
If you are thinking of celebrating international beer day on 7 August 2015 with your favourite pint, take a few moments to consider how this beverage might affect your pocket. South Africans love their beer. Households allocated 60% of their expenditure on alcoholic beverages to this type of drink, followed by wine (23%) and spirits 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 »
Notice on the premature release of Consumer Price Index data
17 June 2015 An unforeseen technical fault caused a breach in the embargo time of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) release of the May 2015. Twenty-two (22) mailing list subscribers received the release earlier than the normal planned time. The scheduled time for the release of CPI data was 10H00 on Wednesday, 17 June 2015; read more »
A rumour wobbles an industry
Misinformation and hearsay have the power to influence an economy. Thousands of civil servants resigned from their posts in 2014 and early 2015 in response to rumours about proposed pension reforms. The economic effect was large enough to be seen in recent gross domestic product (GDP) data released by Stats SA. The government services sector read more »
Drink and diesel: The Budget Speech and consumer inflation
If you drive a car or enjoy a regular glass of wine, February’s National Budget Speech would have had an impact on your cost of living. The rise in sin taxes and petrol levies announced during the speech influenced prices for alcoholic beverages and petrol, contributing to April’s overall inflation rate of 4,5%. The Minister read more »
Education costs continue to outstrip inflation
It is often said that an investment in knowledge pays the best interest. A good education is worth its weight in gold, but recent figures released by Stats SA indicate that South African households will have to make more room in their budgets to pay for rising tuition fees. Stats SA updates education inflation figures read more »