'Thank You for Your Contribution'
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The people behind the numbers FVolume 4 NumberIELDWORKER 4, December/January 2013/14 www.statssa.gov.za ‘Thank you for your contribution’ Statistician-General of South Africa and head of Statistics South Africa Pali Lehohla reflects on a year of achievement in telling the story of our country, which was made possible by the cooperation of everyone in South Africa Innovation s 2013 draws to an end and the new year rewarded dawns upon us, it is perhaps fitting that “The information In 2011, Minister in The Presidency: we pause and reflect that we have National Planning Commission, on the moment just collected from Trevor Manuel, challenged Statistics swept past. It was an you constructs South Africa (Stats SA) to find new eventful year and a momentous period for the picture and and innovative ways to release the AStatistics South Africa (Stats SA). this constitutes census data. Stats SA heeded the The organisation continues to paint a picture call by developing an application that that is at one end very complex and yet compel- the South Africa I revolutionises the way audiences ling; a story of a new South Africa, a story of our know the home I interact with statistical reports. nation, a nation emerging with the old and bitter understand to all, not past still lingering with great veracity. just policy makers The Stats SA app was recently awarded With this daunting history it remains a fulfill- second runner up in the ‘Innovative ing fact that Stats SA could not paint this picture and statisticians” — Use of ICT for Effective Service of progress and development without the selfless Statistician-General Delivery’ category, at the Centre for participation of all South Africans in the work Pali Lehohla Public Service Innovation awards held of the organisation, especially, during the 2011 annually to promote and encourage Census of our population and the many thou- innovation in the public sector. sands of households and businesses that partici- pate in our ongoing survey programme. Development of the app started in It is this contribution that helps us to get to 2011 after thorough research and user know and understand South Africa better and consultation. Simplifying the data help the country, monitor service delivery and that Stats SA releases and making plan improvements and new interventions. The it available on an online and mobile information that we have collected from you platform was top priority. The Roambi constructs the picture and this constitutes The platform was identified as the best South Africa I Know the Home I Understand to option to meet these objectives. all, not just policy makers and statisticians. Go and have a pleasurable and memo- The app was introduced to the public rable experience on our data portal, www. during the release of the Census 2011 statssa.gov.za, and use the information in results in October 2012. It generated your endeavours when you plan and resolve a great deal of interest and was the some of the stubborn challenges of our times, top download in the South African at your schools, hospitals, municipalities and Apple app store during the week of its whatever research you need to do. release. Initially the app was used to The information and data belongs to you disseminate Census 2011 data. This and it will be of great value to you. SA survey programme coordinates. Should We will continue to make it as easy as pos- I wish you a wonderful festive season and has now been expanded and a wide We further appreciate your continued con- you be selected for one of our surveys partici- sible and together we can create The South may the year 2014 bring to you and yours variety of releases are made available tribution to the data and information that Stats pate, it is the right thing to do. Africa we Know the Home we Understand. good tidings and success. on this platform on a regular basis. One of the challenges facing Stats SA is around the presentation of results. How can we present results in a way that draws people in? The iPad App through its intuitive and interactive interface, not only draws people in but also makes the underlying data easy to understand and tells our story in a way that the public can understand. The development of this app has raised the status of Stats SA as an organisation willing to use innovative methods to ensure that users are able to access our data easily, in a format that makes statistics understandable. Differences in time spent by marital status: The launch of the app makes Stats SA the first statistical agency to provide interactive, user-friendly statistical data on tablet platform. Work is currently under way to develop an Android app. The Stats SA app can be downloaded free from the Apple App Store. — Vienie Botha Inside this edition: In-depth look at SA’s job market p2; 2015 MDGs on track p3; Provinces at a glance p4-5; Basic service delivery facts and figures p6; 20 years of freedom and democracy p7; Test your knowledge p8 THE SOUTH AFRICA I KNOW, THE HOME I UNDERSTAND @StatsSA www.facebook.com/StatsSA asdfjasfoasdfjaskldfjaslfja l;skjf;askldjfal;skdfj;alskdf jal;skjdfal;skjdfal;skjdfal;s kdjfaskljdfklasjdflkasjdflk Biziwe Maswili reports on an innovative programme asdfasdfasf. Some one that gets kids interested in maths and statistics reports 2 The Fieldworker, December/January 2013/14 The Fieldworker, December/January 2013/14 3 60% of those who moved to Gauteng and Western Cape did so for work-related rea- Say hallo, sons, unlike other provinces. n The better educated were more likely to sawubona In-depth have access to employee benefits: written contract (97,6%), paid leave (89,2%) pension (79,3%), and medical aid (71,6%). and dumela n The increase in average earnings since 2010 was higher for men (9,4%) than women to stats in look at (8,3%) n The Not in Employment, Education or all official Training (NEET) rate was around 30% in all provinces; it’s highest among black African languages women. SA’s job n Fetching water, collecting firewood and subsistence farming were the main types he information gap of activities undertaken for household con- between the elite sumption by the working-age population. 2015 MDGs on track and illiterate must be n This was most likely to be done by women, closed.” This statement less educated and those residing in KwaZulu- South Africa is nearly 20 years into democracy and just two years away from 2015, when the Millennium by Statistician-General market Natal and the Eastern Cape. Pali Lehohla sums up the reason for the Development Goals (MDGs) are to be achieved. The goals commit leaders to reduce poverty, promote human ‘T recent launch of the Multilingual Statistical Hard facts over a 10-year dignity and equality as well as achieve peace, democracy and environmental sustainability. The goals allow for Terminology Publication, which will assist period, from 2003–2013 monitoring development progress at community, regional, country and global levels. The 2013 MDG country translators to ensure consistency in the use Stats SA produces an annual report on labour market n Between 2003 and 2013, 2,1 million jobs of statistical terminology. report for South Africa — coordinated by Statistics South Africa as the MDG Secretariat — gives insight on our dynamics in the country were created, but this is not enough to keep This publication, which translates sta- up with the growth of the working-age popu- progress towards achieving the MDGs. Let’s take a look at some facts and figures indicating our progress tistical terminology into all 11 official lation. languages, aims to remove or reduce the ith an unem- 31,7% who found jobs in the informal sector. n Although employment levels in quarter linguistic barrier, given the fact that Afri- ployment rate n The informal sector serves as an three of 2013 are now higher than the peak Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty Achieve universal primary education can languages lack the required statistical of about 25%, entry point to the formal sector. Of those reached in 2008 before the recession, the The overarching policy of government to address poverty and hunger is All children of school-going age (boys and girls) must achieve universal terminology. job creation in employed in the informal sector,15,8% found absorption rate at 41,9% in quarter through the provision of a “social wage‟ package intended to reduce the cost primary education by 2015, or must have completed primary education, The launch of this publication signifies South Africa jobs in the formal sector. three of 2013 remained below the levels of living of the poor. This includes social grants, no-fee schools and free basic regardless of their age. The government has attained this goal by providing the culmination of an extensive project is both a chal- n Unemployed persons who have worked achieved in quarter three of 2008 (44,5%). In services. Over 14 million people are beneficiaries of a social wage. Poverty access to education for all aged children aged 7–13 years. between Statistics South Africa (Stats rates have decreased since 2000 as less people are currently having to lenge and a pri- before are 2,3 times more likely to find jobs effect, the percentage of South Africans aged SA), the Department of Arts and Culture, survive on less than one dollar a day. ority. In just over two years (between 2008 compared to those who have not worked 15–64 years who have jobs has fallen in the the Pan South African Language Board Indicator Current status 2015 target Achievability Wand 2010) almost one million jobs were lost before.