Mbalo Brief – February 2022
Census 2022 is finally underway. It kicked off with Census Night on Wednesday, 2 February 2022 and will run until 28 February 2022. Thousands of Statistics South Africa’s (Stats SA) fieldworkers will visit more than 17 million households to count the country’s population, in not only the fourth census since the country’s transition to democracy, read more »
Finding a home in a big pond
Finding a home in a big pond It is often said that small businesses hold the key to economic growth. Recently released data paint an interesting picture of where small businesses are making a substantial contribution to economic activity. Stats SA’s latest Quarterly financial statistics reports that the private sector earned a total of R2,1 read more »
Turnover and capital investment in the private sector rise
Total turnover in the private sector increased by 1,6% in the quarter ended June 2015 compared with the quarter ended March 2015, according to Stats SA’s latest Quarterly financial statistics report. The electricity, mining, trade, manufacturing and transport sectors reported increases in turnover, while decreases were recorded for construction, community services (excluding government institutions) and read more »
Formal sector employment increases in quarter 4
The Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) results show that number of employees working in businesses increased by 38 thousand – from 8Â 457 000 in the third quarter of 2013 to 8Â 495 000 in the fourth quarter. This was driven by an increase of 35Â 000 in the Trade industry and increases in the Community and social services read more »
Current trends in the post and telecommunications industry
The post and telecommunications industry experienced notable changes in the period 2019–2022, according to a recent report. Shifts in both telecommunication and postal services reflect broader changes in the economy. Fact #1: Mobile lines dominate telecommunications income Consumers love their phones! This is evident in Figure 1, which provides an overview of services that help keep read more »
Which municipalities spent the most per resident in 2022?
The primary role of South Africa’s 257 municipalities is to provide water, electricity, refuse removal, sanitation and other services to millions of households. This mammoth task requires extensive resources. Municipalities spent R532 billion in 2022. This total includes both operational1 and capital expenditure,2 published in two separate statistical releases. If we consider the Census 20223 national population read more »
Economic wrap-up for June 2024
June was a bumper month for statistical reports. Stats SA published 40 releases in the month, providing monthly, quarterly and annual economic updates. Here are a few highlights. The South African economy weakens in the first quarter The month began with the release of the latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures. The economy contracted by read more »
Metal ores push up mining turnover
The mining industry’s contribution to total turnover in the South African formal business sector has increased over the years. A comprehensive time series, available from the Annual Financial Statistics (AFS) statistical release, provides a breakdown of how the turnover pie has shifted over the years. The survey reference period for the latest AFS (i.e. AFS read more »
Stats SA releases new provincial GDP figures
After a two-year hiatus, Stats SA has released an experimental set of provincial gross domestic product (GDP) data. Provincial-level figures used to be included annually with the GDP release. Following the publication of the 2019 data, the provincial series was temporarily held back as Stats SA embarked on a complete revamp of national accounts. This read more »
South African economy expands by 0,4%
After contracting by a revised 1,1% in the fourth quarter of 2022, real gross domestic product (GDP) edged higher in the first quarter of 2023 (January‒March), expanding by an estimated 0,4%.1 The manufacturing and finance industries were the major drivers of growth on the supply side of the economy. The demand side was lifted by read more »