Salary bonuses and changing seasons shift municipal spending, according to data from Stats SA’s latest Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities report. Bonuses paid to municipal staff drove up employee-related costs at the end of 2014. Municipalities spent R19,3 billion on employees in the quarter ended December 2014, decreasing to R17,6 billion in the quarter ended   read more »

Turnover for private sector enterprises dropped by 5,2% in the first quarter of 2015, the highest quarter-on-quarter percentage decrease since the first quarter of 2010. Total turnover fell from R2,06 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2014 (the quarter ending December) to R1,95 trillion in the first quarter of 2015 (the quarter ending March), according   read more »

The value of building plans passed and buildings completed are two indicators that can be used to gauge the state of the building industry. The infographic below outlines some key findings from Stats SA’s latest Selected building statistics of the private sector as reported by local government institutions report. Download the complete publication here.

Employee-related costs of municipalities rose from R61,2 billion in 2012/13 to R68,4 billion in 2013/14, an rise of 11,6%. This is one of the findings from the latest Financial census of municipalities report published by Stats SA. Metropolitan municipalities contributed 57,3% (R39 billion) of total municipal employee related costs in 2013/14. Local municipalities contributed 34,6%   read more »

Approximately 9% (or R101 billion) of total national government expenditure for the 2013/14 financial year was on interest on state debt. This is one of the findings from Stats SA’s latest Financial statistics of national government report. Using financial data from 41 government departments, the report measures national government spending, broken down by function (e.g.   read more »

Calls to decrease the world’s dependence on coal as an energy source are well intentioned. Lower use would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and less demand would lower the environmental risk of coal mining. However, as the world moves away from coal, South Africa will need to consider the implications. The country depends heavily on the   read more »

Statistics South Africa is proud to announce that several high profile speakers have been lined up for the Annual ISIbalo symposium taking place at Stellenbosch University on 29 June 2015. They include Mr Jeff Radebe, Minister in the Presidency, Rector and Vice Chancellor of Stellenbosch university, Professor Wim de Villiers, Mr Pali Lehohla, Statistician General   read more »

In April 2015 the acting CEO of Eskom suggested that in order to improve Eskom’s financial situation, that the utility bypass municipalities and supply all customers directly with electricity. How would municipalities be affected if this proposal is adopted? Acting as middle-men, municipalities buy electricity from Eskom in bulk and then re-sell the power to   read more »

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 »

The 132,2% year-on-year rise in platinum group metal (PGM) production in March 2015 pushed overall mining production up by 18,8%, the second highest year-on-year increase since January 1980. It would be tempting to celebrate in response to the pronounced rise in PGM production, but a closer look at the data tells a more sober story.   read more »