With South Africa formally in recession and hoping for some good news, the latest employment figures released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) holds no reprieve. According to the March 2017 Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), an estimated 9 644 000 persons were employed in the formal non-agricultural sector of the South African economy. This reflected   read more »

South Africa’s 47 national government departments spent R137 billion on compensation of employees during the 2015/16 fiscal year. Which departments paid their employees the most in terms of compensation? Stats SA breaks it down for you. According to the data, sourced from the latest Financial statistics of national government report1, 70% of the R137 billion   read more »

At the end of last year, mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay Athol Trollip made a commitment that the city would eradicate bucket toilets in informal settlements by the end of 20171. It’s not surprising that the pledge was made: the municipality has the highest number of bucket toilets in the country, according to data released   read more »

The South African economy moved into recession with the reported decrease of 0,7% in GDP during the first quarter of 2017, following a 0,3% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2016. Using the widely accepted measure of ‘recession’ as two (or more) consecutive quarters of negative growth (real GDP quarter-on-quarter), this means that South Africa   read more »

Stats SA publishes estimates of GDP every quarter. It is one of the most anticipated statistical releases on the calendar as it captures the dynamics of the economy in a single number. The key number is expressed as the seasonally adjusted annualised growth between two consecutive quarters, based on GDP in real terms (i.e. volume)1.   read more »

Recent service delivery protests have shifted the spotlight onto local government’s ability to provide vital services. Are municipalities properly staffed to handle the complexities of service delivery? Stats SA’s latest Non-financial Census of Municipalities report provides a profile of the municipal workforce, shedding light on the number of vacancies in key departments1. Local government is   read more »

It might be surprising to learn that the ICT sector is larger than the agriculture industry. This is one of the findings from Stats SA’s latest Information and communication technology satellite account for South Africa report. The document covers ICT’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP), its role in imports and exports, and its   read more »

Risky sexual behaviour still a reality in South Africa Statistics South Africa recently released the South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2016 Key Indicator Report. The report, which presents key findings from the South Africa Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) that was conducted in 2016, is intended to provide policy makers and programme managers with   read more »

Kathu has a story to tell. Located in the rural expanse of the Northern Cape, this small town owes its existence almost entirely to iron ore. The streets, the businesses that line them, and the eleven thousand people that call Kathu home, all draw their economic lifeblood from Sishen, one of the largest open-pit mines   read more »

Stats SA has, for the first time, included seasonally adjusted data in its Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities. What is seasonal adjustment? Why is it significant? Stats SA breaks it down for you. South Africa’s 257 municipalities play a vital role. Not only do they interact with citizens at a local level, but they are   read more »