13% Stats SA budget cut ’will kill us’
Serious implications for implementation, planning of 2021 census
STATISTICIAN-GENERAL Dr Pali Lehohla has spoken out about a drastic 13% cut in Statistics SA’s budget, saying it was “decimating” the organisation and could have serious implications on the planning and implementation of the 2021 census.
Stats SA’s budget was slashed from R2.5-billion to R2.1-billion in the 201718 budget and Lehohla said this had left him irritated with Treasury.
“It is a very severe cut,” said Lehohla. “We have been cut to the bone and have not been able to appoint anyone, so we have a vacancy rate of 8%.”
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch on Friday, Lehohla said average cuts to other departments were 3%. “Why cut us by 13%? They will kill us!”
Lehohla dismissed the possibility of a political motive behind the cut. “They’ve done a lousy job, that’s all,” he said. “I asked them to tell me why they did it and they could not answer.
He said the budget cut was especially disappointing because Stats SA had gone all out to cut costs during last year’s census.
“In 2007, the census cost us R670million and last year it cost R300million. This is less than half, especially if you factor in inflation.”
Lehohla said budget cuts could impact on the new digital methods Stats SA had been planning to introduce to the 2021 census.
“It is forcing us to go back to the old methods. I will have to abandon the transformation because I don’t have the money to test the veracity of a digital survey. It is a serious problem.”
Lehohla also lashed out at government departments which failed to use Stats SA data to plan their economic strategies.
“It’s disappointing and
Iwish
Icould do something about it. It is not deliberate; it is because there is ignorance about it. The competence is not there.”
He said it was vital that South Africa produce more black students who graduated from university.
“It is not because blacks are stupid, it is because they have material concerns that make it impossible to finish. They need to have full board and lodging so they can concentrate on their studies.” He said that although the number of black graduates had increased from 5 000 per year 40 years ago to 48 000 per year in recent years, this was still disproportionate to whites.
Well known for wearing a canary yellow suit at census time, Lehohla said he was wearing a toned-down suit on Friday when he flew to the Eastern Cape for a funeral.
“I have just been interviewed by the BBC and they asked me if I was wearing my yellow suit. I told them I was wearing a tweed suit because I wanted to be an Englishman,” he quipped. — ● See page 8 ● Lehohla will be in East London to talk about statistics in a Dispatch Dialogue at the Guild Theatre on Thursday at 6.45pm. Entrance is free.