Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) continues to focus on its mandate of providing credible statistics to guide South Africa’s push for a better life for its citizens.

Priorities for Stats SA include maintaining basis statistics which, according to Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, form the foundation of any national statistics system.

She detailed that Stats SA, through the production of over 250 publications and reports yearly, provides critical information to government, businesses, investors, workers and the public on the state of the economy in order to facilitate informed decision-making.

“Over the past ten years, the organisation has invested a lot of time and effort in raising the quality and proficiency of economic and social statistics,” she said in a copy of the Stats SA’s Budget Vote on Wednesday.

Dlamini-Zuma also highlighted that Stats SA will be undertaking a key project, which relates to measuring the economic value of environmental resources, with the South National Biodiversity Institute.

The project forms part of an international pilot programme involving the United Nations, the European Union, Brazil, China, India and Mexico, to develop appropriate valuation methods.

The Minister further said an integrated indicator framework has been developed that aligns policy agendas at global, continental and national level, as the basis of what needs to be measured in the national statistics system.

“These indicators will provide a clear basis for understanding the problem statement to be addressed in planning, as well as monitoring progress and evaluating results and will form the bedrock of the information contained in the central repository that will be housed in the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME),” she explained.

Stats SA and DPME, she added, are working jointly on the initiative of the repository in a manner that will “guarantee that DPME discharges of its policy mandate without corroding Stats SA’s independence.”

Dlamini-Zuma also stated that there is a demand to think differently about the future, owing to the world being on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

To answer these demands, Stats SA is transforming the collection of data from a paper-based approach to digital collections. To ensure that quality is not compromised, this process is being phased in over time.

During 2018/19, Stats SA is aiming to roll out the digital data collection solution for all household surveys, which Dlamini-Zuma says will generate efficiency savings over the medium term.

The digitisation of work methods will assist the organisation in delivering faster, smarter and more cost effectively.

Dlamini-Zuma stated that conducting a population census is the biggest statistical survey any country and national statistics agency can undertake.

“Planning for South Africa’s next population census, which is scheduled for 2021, will start in 2018/19. Census 2021 will be the first of its kind in South Africa to be conducted using an electronic data collection methodology, such as computer-assisted personal interviews.”

This, she added, will improve the quality of data collected and reduce the time-lag between data collection and dissemination of results.

AMENDED STATISTICS ACT

Stats SA will also be delivering an Amended Statistics Act that will drive statistical reform in the country, with a particular emphasis on statistical coordination, statistical geography, the data revolution, as well as a State-wide statistical service and institutional arrangements.

Coordination between organs of State is essential for consistency and efficiency in the statistical system, Dlamini-Zuma averred.

This Act, she explained, provides for the Statistician-General to participate in international statistical activities and build relations with international statistical players.

“South Africa continues to contribute to the continental integration agenda and to the improvement of the African Statistical System based on the African Charter on Statistics and the Strategy for Harmonisation of Statistics in Africa,” she said.

In addition, Dlamini-Zulu highlighted that Stats SA is in the forefront of initiatives aimed at shaping the future of statistics in response to the global post-2015 development agenda, the Africa Agenda 2063 and the data revolution.

“Stats SA provides the numbers that should help policymakers to lead the country out of the valley of darkness,” she concluded.