“The spirit of the meeting was to find common ground to ensure continuity and integrity of the statistical system.”
Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu, Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke, and South African Statistics Council chairman Professor David Everatt will engage Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and the National Treasury on the funding problems for Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), it emerged yesterday.
Following the recent media statement by the council regarding the funding shortages at Stats SA, Mthembu met Maluleke and the council members yesterday morning, Mthembu and the council said in a joint statement.
“The spirit of the meeting was to find common ground to ensure continuity and integrity of the statistical system. The meeting was productive and congenial. The outcome was that the minister, the statistician-general, and the chair of council will further engage the minister of finance and the National Treasury team on the imminent risks in the statistical system should we not urgently address these challenges.”
The minister, the council, and the statistician-general were all in agreement on the need to urgently find a lasting solution to the funding problems at Stats SA, while being cognisant of the tough fiscal conditions facing the country, the statement said.
