On 2 April 2018, South Africa and the world at large received news of the passing of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. She passed away at the age of 81 after a long illness. Dubbed ‘Mother of the Nation’, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela became a potent symbol of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle when she was banished and jailed for campaigning   read more »

The tourism sector directly contributed 2,9% to the South African gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016, according to the latest release of Stats SA’s annual Tourism Satellite Account for South Africa report. The sector also employed just under 687 000 individuals, making it a larger employer than mining and utilities. Explore the economic impact of   read more »

Keeping a close eye on municipal finances takes a lot of work. One of Stats SA’s tasks is to compile statistics every quarter on the state of local government finances, from 257 municipalities across the country. Figures for the quarter ending December 2017 were recently released, providing an update on how municipalities spend their money.   read more »

Figures from the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) survey showed that South Africa’s formal non-agricultural sector added 81 000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing the total number of persons employed in the formal non-agricultural to 9,8 million. The QES also showed formal sector jobs rise by 18 000 in the fourth quarter compared with the   read more »

At the 2018 International Travel Trade Show in Germany held in March 2018, South African Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona was quoted as stating that tourism is vitally important to the South African economy, and that the sector should be nurtured for sustained and inclusive growth. Recent data from Stats SA show how important tourism actually   read more »

MEDIA INVITE                                                                               22 March 2018 Stats SA to release Mortality and causes of death report The Statistician-General of South Africa, Risenga Maluleke, will release the Mortality and causes of death in South Africa, 2016 report at a media briefing to be held on Tuesday, 27 March 2018 in Pretoria. The Mortality and causes of death   read more »

MEDIA INVITE                                                                               22 March 2018 Stats SA  to release the Tourism satellite account (TSA) report The Statistician-General of South Africa, Risenga Maluleke, will release the Tourism satellite report (TSA) at a media briefing to be held on Monday, 26 March 2018 in Pretoria. The TSA report provides an overview of the role that tourism plays   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE 19 March 2018 Stats SA to ensure VAT change reflected in CPI The VAT increase to 15% on 1 April will affect the price of many of the items in the Consumer price index (CPI) basket. Retailers and service providers may adopt different approaches and timeframes to pass this increase onto their customers.   read more »

South Africa will host 10th Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Summit which is scheduled from 25 to 27 July 2018. The 2018 Summit will be an important milestone for BRICS cooperation, as it represents a decade of BRICS cooperation at the highest diplomatic level. The summit will see South Africa building on   read more »

In a time when good news seems hard to come by, the latest gross domestic product (GDP) results provide some cautious cheer. The South African economy grew by 1,3% in 2017, exceeding National Treasury’s expectation of 1,0% growth announced during the National Budget Speech in February. After a wobbly start to 2017, which saw economic   read more »