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.
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