Stats SA recently released results of its large sample survey covering the post and telecommunications industry in South Africa, for the year 2013. The report provides detailed information on the size, nature and structure of the industry. Also included in the report is information on employment, trading income, expenditure, profit or loss, inventories, sales and   read more »

Acting as intermediaries, municipalities buy electricity from Eskom in bulk and then re-sell it to various customers (including homes, businesses and government). According to the utility, 42% of the electricity it generated in 2013/14 was sold to redistributors, such as municipalities1. Almost a third of income earned by municipalities (R21,9 billion) in the quarter ended   read more »

Total turnover in the private sector increased by 1,6% in the quarter ended June 2015 compared with the quarter ended March 2015, according to Stats SA’s latest Quarterly financial statistics report. The electricity, mining, trade, manufacturing and transport sectors reported increases in turnover, while decreases were recorded for construction, community services (excluding government institutions) and   read more »

The number of employees in the formal non-agricultural sector of the South African economy decreased from an estimated 8 945 000 in March 2015 to an estimated 8 944 000 in June 2015.This reflected a quarterly decrease of 1 000 employees. The quarterly decrease was mainly due to decreases in employment reported by manufacturing industry which   read more »

14 September 2015   Stats SA releases Large Sample Survey reports   The Statistician-General, Mr Pali Lehohla, will release the three following Large Sample Survey reports: 1. Electricity, Gas and Water Supply Industry (2013) – 10h00 The results presented in this publication were derived from the 2013 Electricity, gas and water supply industry large sample   read more »

How are provincial governments using your tax money? Stats SA’s latest Financial Statistics of Provincial Government report describes the spending patterns of provincial government. Where do provinces get their money from? Mostly, from our tax contributions. Financial statements from 124 provincial government departments show that provincial governments sourced R429,9 billion in revenue in 2013/14. R415,7   read more »

Manufacturing production increased by 5,6% year-on-year in July 2015, driven mostly by a 39,6% year-on-year production rise in the automotive industry and a 17,4% year-on-year rise in the metals and machinery industry. It would be tempting to rejoice in response to these pronounced increases, but the figures don’t tell the whole story. These increases do   read more »

The bucket toilet system remains a persistent phenomenon in seven of the nine provinces, despite measures to eradicate it. Where are bucket toilets still in use? And is South Africa succeeding in reducing its usage? Data from Stats SA’s latest Non-financial census of municipalities provides some insight into these questions. Eastern Cape boasts largest decrease   read more »

More basic services are being extended to municipalities’ constituencies, but fewer of these services are being provided for free.   This is according to the 2014 annual Non-financial census of municipalities report, which provides municipal data on various services (i.e. electricity, water, sewerage and sanitation, and solid waste management), details on indigents, and information on   read more »

South Africa’s economy contracted by 1,3% (seasonally adjusted and annualised) in the second quarter of 2015, according to preliminary estimates of real gross domestic product (GDP) released by Stats SA. The quarter-on-quarter decrease in overall economic activity was characterised by five of the ten main industry groups shrinking in size, while the other five experienced   read more »