Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni : Stats SA Dept Budget Vote 2026/27

Stats SA Vote 14 2026/ 2027 Budget Debate: Budget Speech By Khumbudzo Ntshavheni Mp, Minister In The Presidency

Honourable House Chairperson,
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Honourable Theliswa Mgweba
Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Honourable Nonceba Mhlauli
Honourable Members of the Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
The Statistician General Mr. Risenga Maluleke and his team
Members of the South African Statistics Council under the leadership Dr Nompumelelo Nzimande-Mbele

Thirty years ago, Census 1996 was a first in the history of South Africa to count every person, in every community, in every language, as an equal citizen of a free South Africa. That act of counting was an act of recognition. Today, as we present Budget Vote 14, we honour that founding legacy not by looking back, but by reflecting the contribution of the data ecosystem to the development of South Africa.

It is with honour that I present Budget Vote 14: Statistics South Africa for the financial year 2026/2027 and the medium-term expenditure framework period, as we continue the work of the 7th Administration.

The MTEF allocation is R2.98 billion in 2026/27; and R3.09 billion and R3.20 billion in the 2027/28 and 2028/29 financial years respectively, which is an average growth rate of 3,9%. I must upfront indicate that this allocation is not enough.

The main divisions of Vote 14 are:

Supporting this Budget Vote is an investment in our ability to govern effectively in a rapidly changing world. As climate shocks intensify, technology accelerates, and global uncertainty grows, timely and credible statistics are no longer optional, they are essential to informed decision-making and national resilience.

We therefore request Parliament to support the budget vote 14 of Statistics South Africa to enable informed decision-making as we work towards the goals of the National Development Plan.

Therefore, the products of Stats SA are not just for their own sake, but they serve as a guide and lodestar for our nation’s development.

Fellow South Africans

With four (4) years before 2030, government remains committed to the pursuit of the objectives of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) of 1994, which was consolidated into a national vision 2030 in the National Development Plan (NDP). Vision 2030 is implemented through five (5) year-cycles which are administration-linked Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) - previously called MTSF. The 2024-2029 MTDP prioritises an inclusive economic growth that creates jobs, the reduction of poverty and addressing the high cost of living. Poverty reduction and its elimination has been a priority for successive administration, and Stats SA through its surveys measure the progress government is making in achieving these objectives.

In December 2025, Statistics South Africa released the Poverty Trends in South Africa -An examination of absolute poverty between 2006 and 2023. This report presents poverty levels and trends based on data collected by Stats SA through the Income and Expenditure Survey and Living Conditions Survey, which are collectively referred to as household expenditure surveys. Household Expenditure Surveys are the best source of data for the measurement of money-metric poverty and inequality. And thus, provide critical understanding of the household economy of a country. Stats SA conducts two (2) Household Expenditure Surveys as part of its household survey programme – which are the Income and Expenditure Survey and the Living Condition Survey. It is important that the Portfolio Committee of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation to support increased budget allocation of Stats SA to enable frequent data collection for these surveys – unlike the current periodic data collection.

The poverty trends report by Stats SA indicate significant improvement in poverty reduction. For example, the percentage of the population that is considered Lower Bound Poverty Line (LBPL) decrease from 57.5% in 2006 to 37.9% in 2023, number of LBPL poor in millions similarly decreased from 27.3 million in 2006 to 23.2 million in 2023. Furthermore, percentage of the population living in extreme poverty (below the Food Poverty Line) also decreased from 27.4% in 2006 to 17.6% in 2023 – translating to 10.8 million people living in extreme poverty or food poverty line – equalling 2.2 million fewer people living in food poverty line in 2023 compared to 2006.

Honourable members,
Despite the significant progress in decreasing the poverty headcount, 10.8 million people below the food poverty line is 10.8 million people too many towards towards the goal of total elimination of poverty even when we accepted the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the fight against poverty. Government will continue, in line with one of the primary purposes of national poverty lines measurement to use these outcomes to improve the country’s ability to target developmental policies and programmes for interventions.

Stats SA in the 2003 – 2026 Poverty Report asserts that education remains one of the most potent tools for fighting poverty as those with lower education levels recorded notably higher poverty headcounts compared to those with higher levels of education. It is for this reason that the implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act is non-negotiable. There is also a need to support the Minister of Higher Education on the continuing work to review the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) including measures to expand access to higher education for the dependents of police officers, teachers, nurses and other public servants who often fall outside existing support thresholds despite facing significant financial pressures. The aim is to build a more inclusive and sustainable student funding system that

broadens opportunity while safeguarding the future viability of the scheme. Government is committed to address the missing middle phenomenon.

Yesterday, Stats SA released Quarter 1 Quarterly Labour Force Survey for 2026 that indicated a decrease in employment by 345 000 to 16.8 million in the first quarter compared to 17.1 million in the previous quarter. The argument of an increase in unemployment due to first quarter trends of increased labour market entrants does not hold as the country experienced a decline in the number of employed persons.

This decline in employment opportunities takes place in a period when investment in infrastructure development is gaining traction. The Minister of Finance announced one trillion Rands (R1 trillion) allocation for infrastructure development during the 2026 National Budget and the 6th edition of the South African Investment Conference raised more than R1.5 trillion worth of investment commitments.

This decline is reported when the country is experiencing an increase in anti-foreign nationals' sentiments, which in addition to accusing foreign nationals of taking part in criminal activities, the major complaint is the accusation that foreign nationals are taking opportunities that must be reserved for South Africans. Stats SA in the Migration Module of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey reported that the unemployment rate for foreign born persons as of 2022 was 18,2% and that of local born persons was 34%. 

The unemployment rate of foreign-born persons is almost half compared to that of locally born persons. The absorption rate of foreign-born persons was 64% and that of locally born persons was 37,7%, meaning that foreign born persons were twice as likely to be employed in South Africa than locally born persons. The absorption rate is the proportion of those in working age (15-64 years) who are employed.

With only 55,190 refugees and 82,410 asylum seekers as at 31 December 2025, the BMA and Home Affairs are actively attending to the presence of undocumented foreign nationals. Cabinet has directed the Department of Employment and Labour to intensify inspections of workplaces to ensure compliance with employment laws across vulnerable sectors such as hospitality, farms, trucking, and construction amongst others. Cabinet further directed municipalities to ensure the enforcement of municipal by-laws, with priority on trading by-laws. South Africans must also play their part by refraining from sub-leasing their business licenses.

On a policy level, the Revised White Paper on Immigration addresses constraints with current immigration laws, by introducing provisions of  first country of  safety principle, moving refugee reception centres nearest to the border, and clause to enable relevant Departments to designate certain trades, professions, and businesses only for South Africans and refugees. To address the argument that South Africans lack vocational skills, the Department of Higher Education is seized with work to reposition TVET colleges to become the most preferred institutions of higher learning whilst evaluating the dual education model.

Unemployment is a contributor to inequality. In this regard, Stats SA uses Gini coefficient as one of the well-known measures of inequality. The Gini ranges from 0 to 1, where zero indicates perfect equality and one indicates perform inequality. According to Stats SA, progress in reducing the Gini by population group showed a mixed results – while the Gini estimates for black Africans and coloureds declines between 2011 and 2023, the estimates for Indians/ Asians and whites increased over the same period. On the income level, the bottom 40% of income earners have seen their income share increase from 4.4% in 2006 to 6.8% in 2023. Stats SA has pointed out that despite the increasing share of income going to the bottom 40% over recent years, the bulk of income is still concentrated with those at the top of the income ladder.

It is however pleasing to report the rising remuneration among black South Africans that is changing the racial makeup of the country’s band of middle-and top-income earners over the course of three decades of democratic rule. The proportion of black households that made more than R75 000 a month in 2024 climbed to 41% from 29% in 2012 according to the StatsSA general household survey. 

Accordingly, the number of black South Africans in the middle- and upper-income brackets defined as those earning more than R22 000 a month — quadrupled to more than 7 million in 2024 from 2012. Overall, the total number of people in those income groups rose from about 4 million to more than 11 million, over the period (2012 - 2024).

Honourable members,
During this budget speech, I have demonstrated how the statistics are being used to direct government policy interventions and programmes.

The Work Programme of Statistics South Africa remain anchored in the Medium-Term Development Plan. Statistics South Africa’s 2026/27 Work Programme reflects our firm commitment to delivering the trusted, relevant statistics the country needs to plan effectively, govern responsibly, and build a better South Africa for all.

In a world shaped by rapid change, complex challenges, and competing narratives, official statistics remain our strongest defence against uncertainty and misinformation. They provide a single, trusted foundation: the truth, told objectively and transparently through numbers. 

Official statistics allow a nation to see itself clearly-not only where it stands today, but how it is changing over time.

Official statistics replace speculation with facts and rhetoric with reality. We live in an age of misinformation, where official data must compete with “alternative facts,” speculation, and deliberately manipulated narratives. We call on South Africans to allow facts to guide our national discourse. Let us choose evidence over noise, facts over fiction, and data over doubt.

In an environment of misinformation, the credibility and authority of Statistics South Africa are not luxuries—they are democratic necessities.

This House has a responsibility to protect the role of official statistics. I therefore call on Honourable Members to defend evidence over conjecture, to use official statistics in our debates and decisions, and to help build a culture where truth, transparency, and facts rule.

Honourable Chairperson
I want to take this opportunity to –
Thank the Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation for their oversight work, guidance and support, the Statistician-General, Mr. Risenga Maluleke and his team, and the South African Statistics Council who continue to deliver on the mandate of Stats SA.
Let the numbers speak. Let the evidence guide us. And let us never lose sight of the 62 million South Africans whose lives depend on what we do with it.

Ngiya thokoza.