Latest news with #RisengaMaluleke
The Herald
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald
Stats SA must be protected to preserve democracy, says deputy minister
Deputy minister in the presidency Nonceba Mhlauli has sounded the alarm over the chronic underfunding and vacancies plaguing Stats SA, warning that the institution's ability to uphold democracy and drive development is at stake. Speaking during the Stats SA budget vote debate in parliament, Mhlauli said investing in the agency was not optional. 'A well-funded, capacitated Stats SA is not a luxury. It is an essential endowment to our democracy and our developmental state. Reliable data is the bedrock of reducing inequality, targeting services, and measuring progress,' she said. Her remarks come amid growing concerns over the agency's operational constraints. Last month, Stats SA presented a dire picture to parliament's portfolio committee on planning, monitoring and evaluation, citing financial challenges, ICT system deficiencies and a high number of unfilled posts. Statistician-general Risenga Maluleke cautioned that if these issues persist the quality of the agency's work would deteriorate. 'If the situation doesn't change, it will have serious consequences and [the] quality will start imploding,' Maluleke said. 'In the end, Stats SA might have to close.' Mhlauli echoed these concerns, stating: 'Inadequate funding and persistent vacancies at Stats SA risk weakening one of the very tools meant to strengthen our country.' She also sought to clarify the institution's role in light of recent public debates about the accuracy of unemployment figures. 'Stats SA does not create unemployment. It measures it. Stats SA does not make policy. It informs it. It is for us — the policymakers, the lawmakers, the executive — to use these insights wisely,' she said. The deputy minister highlighted the strengthening of Stats SA's mandate through the Statistics Amendment Act signed into law in December last year. 'The new act enables improved co-ordination across government and enshrines the professional independence required for statistical credibility,' she said. Mhlauli noted that national statistics agencies face evolving global challenges such as public mistrust in institutions, misinformation, declining survey response rates, digital exclusion and the growing cost of data collection. 'In this environment, we must adapt by embracing digital tools, investing in data literacy among our people, strengthening partnerships with community leaders and reaffirming the independence and credibility of our statistical systems,' she said. Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni added that over the next five years, Stats SA will embark on a process of reinvention to modernise its products and processes. Among its upcoming initiatives, the agency plans to research the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in producing official statistics, introduce web-based data collection in economic statistics programmes, apply data science to big and alternative data sources and explore the use of cloud technology. 'These reforms are necessary to ensure that Stats SA remains relevant, agile and accurate in a rapidly changing information environment,' said Mhlauli. TimesLIVE
Bloomberg
04-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
South Africa Weighs Small Business Registry Amid Jobs Data Furor
South Africa is considering developing a statistical register for small-scale and informal businesses, amid an ongoing debate about the methodology used to compile the country's labor statistics. The register, if implemented, will complement the Quarterly Labour Force Survey and serve as a valuable sampling frame for improved labor market analysis, Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke said after meeting with Capitec Bank Holdings Ltd.'s outgoing Chief Executive Officer Gerrie Fourie on Friday.
News24
11-06-2025
- Business
- News24
Capitec CEO says unemployment is actually 10% - Stats SA pushes back
The head of South Africa's statistics agency defended the methodology of his organisation's unemployment data after the chief of the nation's top bank by customers said misclassification of traders means the jobless rate was much lower. Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie recently said that the unemployment rate — which was 32.9% for the first quarter and is among the highest globally tracked by Bloomberg — would be closer to 10% if self-employed people and those working in informal markets are counted, according to Business Day newspaper. In a letter to the newspaper, Statistician General Risenga Maluleke said it was 'incorrect and misleading to suggest' that Statistics South Africa misses those employed in the informal sector. The organisation measures casual workers using International Labour Organisation guidelines on registration status and sizes of businesses, and that to qualify, employees must be unregistered for income tax and work in places that employ fewer than five people. It also produces reports that measure this sector, including the quarterly labour-force survey, and the survey of employers and self-employed. 'The informal sector is measured, tracked and reported on consistently, and if anything the insights these reports provide should guide and enrich policy, not distort it,' Maluleke said. 'We urge industry leaders to engage more deeply with official statistics before questioning their validity. While constructive debate is encouraged, it should be based on solid evidence.'
Zawya
03-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
South African economy barely grows in first quarter
PRETORIA - South Africa's economy stagnated in the first quarter, eking out quarter-on-quarter growth of just 0.1%, as contractions in sectors like mining and manufacturing offset a strong performance by agriculture. Africa's biggest economy has struggled to build momentum since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, with annual growth averaging less than 1% over the past decade. Business and consumer confidence has picked up since the formation of a coalition government last year, but that is yet to translate into higher levels of output. Tuesday's data was marginally better than expected, as economists polled by Reuters had predicted gross domestic product (GDP) would be unchanged from the previous quarter in seasonally adjusted terms. But analysts and the country's top statistics official said the weak growth was worrying. "Our economy is not growing sufficiently, ... and at this state, it is easy for it to slide into the negative," Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke told a press conference. The agriculture sector grew more than 15% in the first quarter, making the biggest contribution to growth. But mining shrank 4% and manufacturing 2%. Statistics South Africa revised down its estimate of fourth-quarter growth to 0.4% quarter-on-quarter, from an initial estimate of 0.6%. Capital Economics said in a research note that the data showed South Africa's economic recovery was losing momentum, strengthening the case for more interest rate cuts from the central bank. The country's coalition government is trying to lift the growth rate through reforms, but longstanding problems like logistics bottlenecks at the ports and on the freight rail network are only slowly easing. First-quarter GDP increased 0.8% year on year, versus forecasts for 0.7% growth. Last week, the central bank revised down its 2025 growth forecast to 1.2% from 1.7%.
The Herald
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald
Economy barely grows in first quarter
South Africa's economy stagnated in the first quarter, eking out quarter-on-quarter growth of just 0.1% as contractions in sectors such as mining and manufacturing offset a strong performance by agriculture. Africa's biggest economy has struggled to build momentum since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, with annual growth averaging less than 1% over the past decade. Business and consumer confidence has picked up since the formation of a government of national unity (GNU) last year, but that is yet to translate into higher levels of output. Tuesday's data was marginally better than expected, as economists polled by Reuters had predicted GDP would be unchanged from the previous quarter in seasonally adjusted terms. Analysts and the country's top statistics official said the weak growth was worrying. 'Our economy is not growing sufficiently, and at this state, it is easy for it to slide into the negative,' statistician-general Risenga Maluleke told a press conference.
