Stats SA tabled its R2.6 billion budget vote for 2024/2025, which is allocated so that Stats SA can meet it mandate of providing other organs of state and the broader society with credible, reliable and valid statistics on which to base social policy and economic growth.
The Minister in the Presidency, Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, noted that Stats SA is the only state-sponsored entity that can provide a valid and credible snapshot of the progress made since the inception of South Africa’s democracy and challenges that remain. Guess work and preconceived ideas have no place in such an undertaking, she said. “It’s statistical data that would give us insights on such needs and challenges and how to monitor and evaluate government policies meant to address them,” Ms Ntshavheni said.
The data generated by Stats SA helps the government to deliver on its mandate and supports the country’s developmental agenda. “Data drives development. Managing the data ecosystem is crucial for the country to harness its full potential to serve the socio-economic needs and challenges the country is faced with,” she continued. Without this data, the government would be unable to make informed socio-economic policy decisions and to adapt to the evolving business landscapes, both locally and globally, she said.
One of Stats SA’s priorities in this financial year is to ensure that existing data gaps are closed. For example, South Africa’s youth suffer the impact of structural economic challenges and misaligned qualifications that do not match emerging job market trends. In her view, this could be solved through the drafting of policies that position youth economic empowerment as a strategic priority that drives, not only the National Development Plan’s goals, but economic growth in future.
Also participating in the debate, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ms Teliswa Mgweba, said this budget gives the newly elected members of the 7th Parliament an opportunity to influence the strategic direction of policy development and in resource allocation so the state can achieve its goals and targets.
The data generated by Stats SA also promotes transparency and accountability, she said. An efficient and effective statistical system can provide regular and reliable data and is an important indicator for good governance, Ms Mgweba pointed out.
The ability of Stats SA to advance holistic growth was further amplified by Ms Katherine Christie of the Democratic Alliance, who said that Stats SA can provide decision-makers in both the public and private sector with information that will enable them to adapt, adjust, survive and thrive. The more accurate and timely the data, the more agile our government executive would be in making evidence-based policy decisions that will, in turn, enhance the quality of government’s service delivery, Ms Christie said.
Stas SA current priorities must be aligned to the 2030 NDP goals, contested Mr Andile Mngxitama of Mkhonto Wesizwe Party. He asked why the country is far from meeting NDP goals when we are only six years away from 2030. “This should be given an urgent attention because when we are dealing with stats we are dealing with concrete needs of the people, not just cold figures.”
It will take a capable state to reverse the racial settlement patterns, but our government is reproducing these patterns by building houses far away from cities that are even worse than the matchbox houses built by the apartheid regime, Mr Mngxitama declared.
Dr Sophie Thembekwayo of the Economic Freedom Fighters said the projected 30% cut to the budget of Stats SA should not be implemented as it will be detrimental to its ever-increasing mandate and significance to the state. She explained why: “We still don’t know the extent of the impact of poverty to many South Africans. Of low and no economic growth levels, of youth unemployment to our economy, of the scale and impact of GBV and femicide to social cohesion.”
“We need Stats SA to provide us with such information and how it would do so if its budget were to be cut to the bone. Stats SA’s budget should, instead, be increased by 30%. We can’t allow it to be cut when we are faced with unanswered challenges,” Dr Thembekwayo said.
Abel Mputing
12 July 2024
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