In the last seven days of June, Statistics SA released 15 publications based on data derived from surveys and administrative records.
The publications covered core economic indicators, such as consumer and producer price indices; financial statistics for national and local government as well as the private sector; labour market data, including employment and unemployment; social statistics derived from a general household survey; and data on marriages and divorces.
In addition, releases over this period dealt with remuneration of employees, turnover of institutions, and general indicators of the state of the economy, such as civil cases for debt and statistics on liquidations and insolvencies.
The last week in each month is always a particularly busy time for Stats SA, with data on consumer and production prices always being released at this time.
However, the regular business of statistical collation and dissemination continues, albeit at slightly lower intensity, throughout the rest of the month.
For example, this second week of July sees seven releases, most of which are data sources for calculation of South Africa's national accounts, including estimation of gross domestic product (GDP). This week's releases include the standard monthly suite of trade sales (retail, wholesale and motor trade), monthly figures for production and sales in mining and manufacturing, as well as data on accommodation use by tourists and the generation of electricity. These data are a source for measurement of economic growth through quarterly GDP estimations.
The estimated volume of electricity consumed (available for distribution) for May increased by 1.7 percent compared with May last year. The consumption of electricity for the three months to May increased by 1.7 percent compared with the corresponding period.
However, the consumption of electricity for the three months, after seasonal adjustment, decreased by 0.1 percent compared with the previous three months.
Retail trade sales at constant (2000) prices for the three months to April increased 7.3 percent compared with the three months to April last year.
Similarly, retail trade sales at constant prices from January to April increased by 6.3 percent compared with January to April last year. Retail trade sales at constant prices for April increased by 9.2 percent compared with April 2004.
Total mining production for the three months to May, after seasonal adjustment, increased by 3.4 percent compared with the previous three months. This increase was due to a seasonally adjusted increase of 4.9 percent in the production of non-gold minerals during the first quarter compared with the fourth quarter of 2004.
This increase was mainly due to an increase of 4 percentage points in the production of platinum group metals.
Estimated manufacturing production for the three months to May increased by 1.7 percent after seasonal adjustment, compared with the previous three months.
Higher production was reported by seven of the 10 manufacturing divisions.
The major contributor to this increase was the petroleum, chemical products, rubber and plastic products division, which contributed 1 percentage point to total manufacturing production.
It was followed by the food and beverages division (contributing 0.8 percentage points), basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products, and machinery (0.8 percentage points), wood and wood products, paper, publishing, and printing (0.3 percentage points) and glass and non-metallic mineral products (0.1 percentage points).
However, these increases were counteracted by decreases reported by the furniture and other manufacturing division (0.8 percentage points), the textiles, clothing, leather and footwear division (0.2 percentage points) and motor vehicles, parts and accessories, and other transport equipment (0.2 percentage points).
Stats SA's survey of tourist accommodation is a monthly survey covering a sample of public and private enterprises involved in the short-stay accommodation industry. Not as prominent as, for example, surveys of manufacturing, or retail and wholesale trade, the results are nonetheless significant, being used to compile estimates of the tourism satellite accounts and GDP.
These statistics are also used in the analysis of comparative business and industry performance.
In the first quarter, income from accommodation was R2.0052 billion, an increase of 0.7 percent from the last quarter of 2004.
However, the number of stay unit nights sold during the first quarter decreased by 0.6 percent to 4.57 million compared with the last quarter of last year. This decrease could be due to the smaller number of calendar days in the first quarter (90 days) compared with the last quarter (92 days). The occupancy rate for the first quarter (50.3 percent) increased by 0.8 percent.
Stats SA's cycle of statistical dissemination tends to reach its peak in the last week of each month.
However, in the intervening weeks, the ongoing publishing programme remains substantial, reflecting the output of at least a medium-sized publishing house.
Pali Lehohla is South Africa's statistician-general and the head of Statistics SA. For more information on Stats SA and its statistical outputs, visit www.statssa.gov.