Stats SA Archives - Voice of the Cape

Inflation Rises to Ten-Month High, Food Prices Continue to Squeeze Households

Statistics South Africa released the latest inflation figures on Wednesday, noting a ten-month high of 3.5% in July, up from 3% in June. The increase places further pressure on already stretched household budgets, particularly when it comes to food. The inflation rate increased to a 10-month high of 3.5% in July from 3% in June, the highest rate since September 2024, when it was 3.8%. Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation […]

20 August 2025

Local

GDP grows by 0.1%

By Rachel Mohamed Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) recently released its report on the first quarter of 2025, indicating a 0.1% increase in GDP. Key contributors to this growth included sectors such as agriculture, transport, finance, and trade. However, declines were noted in both the manufacturing and mining industries. Speaking on VOC’s News Beat show, Professor Bonke Dumisa, an independent economic analyst, commented on last year's disappointing figures. “In the […]

4 June 2025

Local

South Africa’s Unemployment Rate Rises to 32.9% in First Quarter of 2025

South Africa’s unemployment rate has risen to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025, marking a one-percentage-point increase from the previous quarter. This is according to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Statistics South Africa. The data reveals a concerning drop of 291,000 in the number of employed persons, reducing the total employed population from 17.1 million in Q4 of 2024 to 16.8 million. Simultaneously, the number […]

13 May 2025

Local

Customer inflation basket updated by Stats SA

The consumer inflation basket has been redesigned by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), which has added 71 items, eliminated 53, and rearranged 29. While things like ground coffee and satellite TV decoders were discontinued, new inclusions include gas cylinders, school uniforms, streaming services, and basmati rice. Patrick Kelly, chief director for price statistics said the updated product weights show rising food and telecom expenditures. Kelly claimed that the revised basket, […]

29 January 2025

Local

South African household spending reached R3-trillion in 2022/’23

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has reported that total household consumption expenditure between November 2022 and November 2023 reached R3 trillion. The 2022/2023 income and expenditure survey indicated that the top four spending categories—housing, food, transport, and insurance—accounted for nearly 76% of all household expenditure. According to Stats SA’s Rodney Khumalo, households spent an average of R143,069 in 2023, with male-headed households contributing to over 60% of this total. Furthermore, […]

28 January 2025

Local

Annual consumer inflation rises slightly to 3% in December

South Africa's annual consumer inflation increased to 3% in December, up slightly from 2.9% in November. The key contributors to this rise were housing and utilities, miscellaneous goods and services, food, and non-alcoholic beverages. Statistics South Africa’s Patrick Kelly noted that the average inflation rate for 2024 was 4.4%, a decrease compared to the 6% recorded in 2023. "In 2024, vehicle inflation saw a notable decline, starting the year […]

22 January 2025

Local

Stats SA has released its first-ever migration profile, which tracks the movements of labour migration in the SADC region

By Kouthar Sambo Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has released its first-ever migration profile, which has tracked the movements of labour migration in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Speaking on VOC's In Conversation show on Wednesday, the Chief Director responsible for demographic and population Statistics Diego Iturralde, said the genesis of this report stems from the processes around the negotiation of the global compact for safe, orderly, and […]

28 March 2024

Local

Unemployment in South Africa now at 31%, showing signs of recovery

By Ragheema Mclean While unemployment in South remains a major cause for concern, slight areas of improvement were recorded in the third quarter of 2023. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) this week, the country's unemployment rate now stands at 31.9%. The number of employed individuals increased by 399,000 to reach 16.7 million employed people in South Africa. This is a notable […]

15 November 2023

Local

SA unemployment rate records slight decline

Statistics South Africa has released the unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2023, which declined slightly to 32.6% from 32.9% in the first quarter. The number of unemployed people also declined slightly, coming in at 7 921 000. According to an expanded definition of unemployment that includes those discouraged from seeking work, 42.1% of the labour force was without work in the second quarter, compared with 42.4% in the […]

15 August 2023

Stats SA

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