Eskom announced earlier this year that it would roll out power cuts to several defaulting municipalities.1 The inability of particular municipalities to honour debt payments has been a thorn in the flesh of local government administration. The following are a few key facts about municipal debt, from Statistics South Africa’s latest Financial census of municipalities   read more »

Service delivery protests in South Africa have become a widespread occurrence in recent years. Residents take to the streets in protest against poor services received in their communities, hoping that their voices will be heard and their problems fixed. Communities are raising their voices about issues such as access to electricity, housing, water and sanitation,   read more »

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) will be launching its first commemorative Nelson Mandela banknote series in celebration of the first democratically elected president’s birth centenary. These notes will be issued into circulation by 18 July 2018 and will cover all denominations of R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200. As part of the celebrations, the   read more »

The recent royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle cast the spotlight on fairy-tale weddings. Images of a young couple who are madly in love and vow to spend the rest of their lives together, filled with expectations of a perfect marriage, are what fairy-tale weddings are made of. The truth is that not   read more »

South Africa’s consumer inflation rate jumped to 4,5% in April after reaching a seven-year low of 3,8% in March. Much of the increase was a result of price rises in product groups that attract specific taxes, namely alcohol, fuel and sugary drinks. A one percentage point increase in value added tax (VAT) also came into   read more »

From 7 to 10 May 2018, the South African tourism industry hosted the annual Africa’s Travel Indaba at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. This is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar and the tourism industry as it showcases the variety of Africa’s best tourism products, attractions   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                        15 May 2018 Quarterly Labour Force Survey – QLFS Q1:2018 The results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the first quarter of 2018 released by Statistics South Africa today indicate that: The South African working-age population increased by 153 000 or 0,4 per cent   read more »

The South African working-age population increased by 153 000 or 0,4 per cent in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the fourth quarter of 2017. The rise in both employment (up by 206 000) and unemployment (up by 100 000) over the quarter led to the rise in the labour force participation rate now   read more »

Perspective matters. A lot. Recent provincial economic data published by Stats SA take on a fresh light when they’re ranked against other countries. Gauteng would become the 7th largest economy on the African continent if it became an independent state. The economy of KwaZulu-Natal is roughly the same size as Tanzania’s. Explore our provincial economies,   read more »

The South African trade industry is made up of five divisions: wholesale, motor, accommodation, food and beverages (i.e. restaurants and catering), and retail. Stats SA takes a look at five facts that you might not have known about the retail trade industry.   Fact 1: South Africans spent R31 900 per second in retail stores in   read more »