(Parliamentary Budget Vote Debate: Statistics SA)
Without accurate statistics on the country and its people, thorough planning for the future cannot be done on government level, and economic development goals cannot be met.
Therefore, the problems emerging at Statistics SA, like the most recent ones that became clearly evident with the national census survey, are extremely alarming.
Thorough planning extends much wider than state departments and the budget, where critical allocations are made based on population numbers and other factors.
Statistics SA's data are also of cardinal importance for, among other things, the private sector, academics and NGO's that make use of its approximately 250 surveys and related reports issued over a period of a year.
So, this entity needs proper funding and it must be ensured that the money is used wisely.
The recent census survey, with a budget of more than R2 billion, revealed serious shortcomings in this regard. In addition to the fact that the survey's finalisation was postponed time and again, other problems also kept arising.
These problems ranged from transport difficulties for fieldworkers, technological challenges with the computer tablets, and poor payment to a smaller fieldworkers corps in comparison to the previous survey in 2011.
The large number of vacant positions and high personnel turnover, where expertise is lost, cause instability and make up a large part of the problem.
Ever since initial budget cuts were implemented about six years ago, personnel shortages have been identified as a problem area.
Thus, the additional allocation of R132 million over the medium term, of which R44 million is earmarked for filling key positions in the 2022/23 financial year, is welcomed.
These positions must be filled as soon as possible with merit being the only criterion.
Although the census survey exposed the shortcomings of the data-capturing system, it needed to be changed and renewed. And the impact of Covid-19 merely sped up that process.
An allocation of R173,5 million, earmarked for addressing these problems, will hopefully achieve the desired outcome of obtaining, processing and disseminating statistics faster and more thoroughly.
In stark contrast to most public enterprises, an estimated 89% of South Africans still believe that Statistics SA is a credible institution.
This reputation may have been damaged somewhat by the recent census survey, but it can easily be rectified by quickly and effectively resolving the identified shortcomings.
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