Municipal finances and electricity: 11 years in perspective
Rising prices are hitting consumers hard, and the cost of electricity is no different. Municipalities play a significant role in the distribution of electricity in South Africa. Acting mostly as intermediaries, municipalities buy electricity from Eskom and then resell it to businesses, homes and other institutions. Eskom tariffs and purchases and sales of electricity A read more »
Consumer inflation surges to a 13-year high
Annual consumer inflation jumped to 7,4% in June from 6,5% in May, mainly driven by rising transport and food prices. The June rate is the highest reading since May 2009 (8,0%) when the economy was facing the headwind of currency depreciation during the global financial crisis. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 1,1% between read more »
Consumer inflation jumps to a 5-year high
Annual consumer price inflation quickened to 6,5% in May from 5,9% in April and March, breaking through the upper limit of the South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy target range. This is the highest reading since January 2017 when the rate was 6,6%. The monthly change in the consumer price index (CPI) was 0,7%. The read more »
Seasonal adjustment: what is it, and why is it important?
In April and May 2022 Stats SA is updating its seasonal adjustment models for monthly business cycle indicators, namely mining, manufacturing, electricity, building, wholesale, retail, motor, tourist accommodation, food & beverages, land transport, and civil cases for debt. What is seasonal adjustment, and why is it so important for measuring and analysing the economy? We read more »
Women are unequal on the road and in life
Would it surprise you to know that women in South Africa are far less likely to have a driver’s license than men? According to a new gender report, Gender Series Volume VIII: Gender patterns in Transport, 2013–2020, released by Statistics South Africa, only 21,8% of females possessed a driver’s license in 2020 compared to 40,1% read more »
Pre-lockdown business profits fall to their lowest level in 14 years
Net profit before tax in the formal business sector tumbled by 33,4% in the financial year 2020 compared with 2019, with business services and manufacturing the hardest hit. The data, from Stats SA’s latest Annual financial statistics (AFS) survey1 , which mostly covers the period before the lockdown, show that total net profit before tax read more »
Tourism in South Africa: a pre-COVID-19 benchmark
The tourism sector: economic importance, employment and expenditure. These are the three themes covered by a recent report examining the pre-pandemic (2019) status of the South African tourism sector. These data will provide an important benchmark for when comparable COVID-19-era data (2020) become available. The Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for South Africa report, released annually, read more »
An overview of government spending
Total South African government spending flirted with the R2Â trillion mark in the 2019/20 financial year, according to data published by Stats SA. The data, recently published in the Financial statistics of consolidated general government statistical release, covers the period before the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a benchmark for when comparable pandemic-era data become available. The South read more »
A deep dive into the price of fuel
Note: The original version of this article, published on 1 December 2021, was based on fuel price adjustments announced by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) on 29 November. On 1 December, the DMRE made changes to these adjustments. This article was revised on 2 December 2021 to reflect these changes. Fuel prices read more »
The decline in public-sector infrastructure spending
A simple picture can tell a striking story. The bell-shaped chart below shows the rise and subsequent decline of South African public-sector infrastructure investment. Capital expenditure represents the money that is spent on construction, machinery, equipment, land, buildings and other fixed assets. This form of investment has an impact on communication, travel, logistics and the read more »