Agb Voorsitter, agb Minister Manuel en ander Kabinetslede hier teenwoordig, agb Hoofseep van die Meerderheidsparty - die ANC - agb lede van die Parlement hier teenwoordig, gaste, statistikus-generaal en personeel, dames en here, kamerade, die ANC-geleide demokratiese regering wat in 1994 tot stand gekom het, het nuwe statistiese vereistes vir Suid- Afrika daargestel, soos reeds deur die agb Mufamadi uiteen gesit is.
Beleidskeppers het statistiese data nodig om sosioekonomiese- en ontwikkelingstandaarde te ontwikkel en om suksesse en mislukkings met die implementering van nuwe programme en beleidsrigtings te meet.
Statistiese inligting is toenemend aangewend om die toedeling van hulpbronne te beplan sodat diegene wat in Suid-Afrika voorheen nie daartoe toegang gehad het nie ook nou toegang kan h. Die toename in die aanvraag na statistiese data het dus voortgevloei uit die ANC-geleide regering se verbintenis tot transformasie en beleidmaking wat op feitelike inligting gebaseer is. Belanghebbendes vereis deurlopend dat Statistiek Suid-Afrika nie net relevante en ho gehalte data produseer nie, maar dat die organisasie 'n raamwerk ontwikkel waarvolgens statistiese inligting wat deur ander navorsingsinstellings in die privaatsektor voorgebring word, gevalueer kan word.
In 2009 het Statistiek Suid-Afrika 'n interne en eksterne beraming onderneem om te bepaal of die stelsel gereed is om positief op die groeiende aanvraag na statistiese inligting uit die oord van die regering en ander belanghebbendes in die privaatsektor te reageer. Daar is bevind dat Statistiek Suid-Afrika konsekwent daarin geslaag het om statistiese produkte te lewer wat aan die internasionale standaarde, soos deur die Internasionale Monetre Fonds, IMF, se spesiale dataverspreidingstandaard voldoen, gegee is.
Statistiek Suid-Afrika verbeter die gehalte en dekking van sy opnames en datareekse deurlopend ten einde te sorg dat dit relevant vir die behoeftes van verbruikers bly. Tesame hiermee moet alle openbare sektor instellings ook hulle eie kapasiteit verbeter om statistiese bruikbare administratiewe data voort te bring - 'n vereiste wat in die Wet op Statistiek van 1999 voorsien is. Di wet het ook vir die kordineringsrol van die statistikus- generaal en die minister verantwoordelik vir statistiek voorsiening gemaak.
Die monitering en meting van die vordering in die nasionale ontwikkeling vereis statistiese data van deurlopend betroubare gehalte. Di strategiese skuif verwys dus ook na gapings in statistiese gehalte, wat vereis dat standaarde vir al le staatsorgane in 'n gekordineerde statistiese opset gestel word. Dit word bewerkstellig deur twee instrumente, naamlik statistiese standaarde en gesertifiseerde standaarde.
'n Verskeidenheid verbeterings is aan belangrike aanwysersreekse soos die verbruikersprysindeks en die kwartaallikse arbeidsmagopname aangebring. Die rigting wat deur Statistiek Suid-Afrika ingeslaan is, is bepaal deur die strategiese vereistes ten opsigte van die infrastruktuur wat vir die uitbreiding van statistiese produksie en organisasie nodig geword het. Die vereiste het die wyse betrek waarvolgens Statistiek Suid-Afrika se eie statistiekproduksie met di van ander staatsorgane kordineer.
In ooreenstemming met die Nasionale Ontwikkelingsplan erken Statistiek SA dat stede 'n sleutelrol te speel het in die groei van die ekonomie, die skepping van werksgeleenthede, die vermindering van ongelykhede, die bevordering van sosiale samehorigheid en die kweking van integrasie. Die sensusdatastel is dus die mees omvattende bron vir die meting van lewensomstandighede, dienslewering en armoede. Die resultate is beskikbaar op stedelike wyksvlakke, die sogenaamde "My Ward, My Councillor", en kan dus op 'n uitgebreide grondslag deur munisipaliteite en metros vir besluitneming, beplanning en monitering gebruik word.
Goeie vordering is dan ook sedert 1994 gemaak met die verbetering van toegang tot basiese munisipale dienste vir die armes. lnformele nedersettings het belangrike sentra van ekonomiese aktiwiteite, besigheidsgeleenthede en ondernemingsontwikkeling geword. 'n Toenemende aanvraag na data vir die ontwikkeling van doeltreffende planne en die verbetering van dienslewering by munisipaliteite het dus ontstaan.
Die sentrale doel en missie van die ANC regering se ontwikkelingsagenda is om die land op 'n hor en volhoubare baan van ekonomiese groei te plaas, waarby die skepping van menswaardige werksgeleenthede en gehalte onderwys- en opleidingsontwikkeling ingesluit is. In hierdie verband is Statistiek Suid-Afrika se strategiese beplanning gebaseer op die prioriteite wat in die mediumtermyn strategiese raamwerk gestel is, die wyse waarop nasionale en internasionale dinamika die bereiking van hierdie doelwitte mag benvloed en die meganismes wat vir die beplanning en evaluering van vordering van die prioriteite benodig word.
Die statistikus-generaal word in die Wet op Statistieke gemagtig om statistieke as amptelik te verklaar. In 'n eerste stap in die verbetering van die gehalte van die bestuurstelsel het Statistiek Suid-Afrika die Suid- Afrikaanse gehalte skattingsraamwerk in 2009 as 'n instrument aanvaar waarmee die gehalte van statistiese inligting in die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Statistiekdiens gevalueer kan word. Die uitkoms van so 'n waardasie bepaal of die gehalte van statistiese inligting voldoende is om dit as amptelik te klassifiseer, al dan nie.
Die vlak van statistiese geletterdheid en syferkennis in Suid-Afrika bly egter 'n uitdaging. Statistiek Suid-Afrika het dus 'n aantal strategiese inisiatiewe bykomend tot die normale menslike kapasiteit ontwikkelingsprogram aanvaar. Ek verwys hier na internskap-programme, die ontwikkeling van diplomakursusse in amptelike statistieke, buitelandse studieprogramme, die skepping van vennootskappe met tersire instellings soos die universiteite van Stellenbosch, KwaZulu-Natal en Kaapstad en die inwerkingstelling van wiskunde vir statistiek by skole, om maar 'n paar te noem. Di inisiatiewe sal gekordineer word deur die Statistiese Opleidingsinstituut. Die verbetering van produktiwiteit en dienslewering sal dus in werking gestel word deur 2'n gentegreerde benadering tot opnames, doeltreffende bestuurondersteuning en-stelsels en 'n korporatiewe diens wat die behoeftes van die staat en alle belanghebbendes dien.
Ek sluit graag af met 'n aanhaling van die agb Trevor Manuel, Minister in die Presidensie, se stelling dat:
... can confirm with confidence that Stats SA has graduated into the fact finder of the nation as prescribed in the Statistics Act. The organisation has built intellectual leadership that holds its own in the country and globally, and should, going forward, be in a position to implement the Statistics Act fully.
The organisation not only holds its own, but has become a hub of competence from which other agencies draw important lessons.
Statistiek Suid-Afrika het reeds getoon dat die statistieke wat hy voortbring, betroubaar is. Die diverse profiel van die tegniese vaardighede tot sy beskikking sorg vir 'n waardevolle bydrae tot gehalte diens aan statistiekgebruikers op 'n deurlopende grondslag. Ons as Suid-Afrikaners en alle ander belanghebbendes het dus volle vetroue in die belangrike en reuse taak wat Statistiek Suid-Afrika verrig en die volgehoue gehalte van die statistiek wat die instelling voortbring.
Die ANC ondersteun Begrotingspos 13. Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Ms P E ADAMS: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Manuel and other members of Cabinet present, hon Chief Whip of the Majority Party - the ANC - and hon Members of Parliament present, guests, Statistician-General and staff, ladies and gentlemen, comrades, the ANC-led democratic government, which came into being in 1994, has established new statistical requirements for South Africa, as already set out by the hon Mufamadi.
Policy-makers need statistical data to develop socio-economic and developmental standards and to measure successes and failures in the implementation of new programmes and policies.
Statistical information is increasingly being applied in the planning of the allocation of resources, so that those who previously had no access to them in South Africa, may now also gain access. The increased demand for statistical data therefore followed the ANC-led government's commitment to transformation and policy-making that is based on factual information. Interested parties continuously require Statistics SA not only to produce relevant and high-quality data, but also to develop a framework whereby statistical data produced by other research bodies in the private sector may be evaluated.
In 2009 Statistics SA undertook an internal and external estimate to determine whether the system was ready to react positively to the growing demand for statistical information from government quarters and from other interested parties in the private sector. It was found that Statistics SA had been successful in consistently delivering statistical products that meet the international standards, as set by the special data dissemination standards of the International Monetary Fund, IMF.
Statistics SA is continually improving the quality and coverage of its surveys and data series so as to ensure their relevance to the needs of the consumers. In combination with this, all public sector entities must also improve their own capacity to produce statistically useful administrative data - a requirement provided for in the Statistics Act of 1999. This Act also provides for the co-ordinating role of the Statistician-General and the Minister in charge of statistics. Monitoring and measuring the progress of national development requires statistical data of ongoing reliable quality. This strategic move therefore also refers to the gaps in statistical quality, which would require standards for all state organs to be arranged in a co-ordinated statistical framework. This is accomplished by two mechanisms, namely statistical standards and certified standards.
A variety of improvements have been made to important series of indicators, such as the consumer price index and the quarterly labour force survey. The direction taken by Statistics SA was determined by the strategic requirements in respect of infrastructure that became necessary for the expansion of statistical production and organisation. This requirement involved the means whereby Statistics SA co-ordinated its own production of statistics with those of other state organs.
In accordance with the National Development Plan, Statistics SA acknowledges that cities have a key role to play in the growth of the economy, the creation of job opportunities, a reduction in inequalities, the promotion of social cohesion and the fostering of integration. The census data series is therefore the most comprehensive source to measure living conditions, service delivery and poverty. The results are available at city ward level, the so-called "My Ward, My Councillor", and can therefore be used extensively by municipalities and metros for their decision-taking, planning and monitoring needs.
Since 1994 good progress has therefore been made with improvement of access to basic municipal services for the poor. Informal settlements have become important centres for economic activity, business opportunities and enterprise development. An increase in demand for data for the development of efficient plans and the improvement of service delivery by municipalities has therefore developed.
The central aim and mission of the ANC government's development agenda is to place the country on a higher and sustainable track of economic growth, which includes the creation of decent work opportunities and the development of quality education and training. Strategic planning by Statistics SA in this regard is based on the priorities as formulated in the medium-term strategic framework, on the manner in which national and international dynamics may influence the attainment of these targets, and on the mechanisms that are needed for the planning and evaluation of progress regarding these priorities.
The Statistics Act authorises the Statistician-General to declare statistics as official. In 2009, in a first step towards improving the quality of the management system, Statistics SA adopted the South African quality evaluation framework as an instrument whereby the quality of statistical information in the South African National Statistical Service could be evaluated. The outcome of such an evaluation determines whether the quality of statistical information is sufficient to classify it as official, or not.
The level of statistical literacy and numeracy in South Africa, however, remains a challenge. Statistics SA has therefore adopted a number of strategic initiatives in addition to the normal human capacity developmental programme. Here I refer to the internship programmes; developing diploma courses in official statistics; foreign study programmes; creating partnerships with tertiary institutions such as the University of Stellenbosch, of KwaZulu-Natal and of Cape Town; and the introduction of mathematics for statistics at schools, to name but a few. These initiatives will be co-ordinated by the Statistical Training Institute. The improvement in production and service delivery will therefore be implemented by an integrated approach to surveys, efficient management support and systems and a corporative service to serve the needs of the state and all parties concerned.
I would like to conclude by quoting a statement by the hon Trevor Manuel, Minister in the Presidency, that:
... can confirm with confidence that Stats SA has graduated into the fact finder of the nation as prescribed in the Statistics Act... The organisation has built intellectual leadership that holds its own in the country and globally, and should, going forward, be in a position to implement the Statistics Act fully...The organisation not only holds its own, but has become a hub of competence from which other agencies draw important lessons.
Statistics SA has already shown that the statistics it produces are reliable. The diverse profile of the technical skills at its disposal provides for a valuable contribution to quality service delivery to statistics users on an ongoing basis. We as South Africans and all other interested parties therefore have the utmost confidence in the important and huge task that Statistics SA is performing and the sustained quality of the statistics produced by this institution.
The ANC supports Vote No 13. I thank you.]