Statistics SA mourns the passing of Business Report's talented parliamentary correspondent, Lynda Loxton.
We had grown used to her presence, especially at our appearances before parliament's finance portfolio committee. After hearings, we would rush to read her coverage, wanting to know what criticisms she had highlighted, what praises she had recorded.
On Thursday, to my shock, I learned of her untimely death. There was a tangible absence at that hearing, something we could almost feel. It will not be easily filled. Hamba kahle, Lynda. We will miss you.
Statistics can be gathered in a number of different ways: through censuses, sample surveys and registers.
In addition, statistical agencies across the world make use of administrative records to collect data for analysis. Statistics SA, for example, relies on the department of home affairs for administrative data on births, marriages and deaths. It receives data from the minerals bureau at the department of minerals and energy in the compilation of mining statistics.
Local authorities are also a major source of administrative data. This deals with, among others, the finances of municipalities and service delivery at municipal level. Local authorities also provide Stats SA with the information required to compile a monthly release reporting on selected building statistics of the private sector.
Last week Stats SA released this data for January 2006. The building statistics collected by local government cover the value of building plans passed and the value of buildings completed.
The value of recorded building plans passed by larger municipalities (at current prices) during January 2006 increased by 32.3 percent (R1.019 billion) compared with January 2005.
Large increases were reported for non-residential buildings (54.5 percent), residential buildings (37 percent) and additions and alterations (10 percent).
Large increases for non-residential buildings were reported for industrial and warehouse space (75.2 percent) and shopping space (56.2 percent).
Building plans passed for flats and townhouses showed the largest percentage increase for the year January 2005 to January 2006 (70.6 percent).
Seven provinces reported increases in the value of recorded building plans passed. The largest contributor to the increase of 32.3 percent was Gauteng (23.5 percentage points or R739.6 million), followed by Western Cape (4.4 percentage points or R137.6 million), KwaZulu-Natal (1.7 percentage points or R55 million), Eastern Cape (1.6 percentage points or R49 million) and Mpumalanga (1.5 percentage points or R47 million).
Gauteng reported large increases for residential buildings (109.4 percent or R587.5 million) and non-residential buildings (59.3 percent or R118 million).
Two provinces (Free State and Limpopo) showed a small decrease in the value of plans passed for the period under review (minus 1.1 percent or R34 million, and 0.9 percent or R28 million, respectively).
The value of buildings reported as completed in larger municipalities (at current prices) during January 2006 increased by 29.1 percent compared with January 2005.
The largest increase was reported for residential buildings (37.3 percent), followed by additions and alterations (22 percent) and non-residential buildings (11.5 percent).
Seven provinces reported increases in the value of buildings completed.
The largest contributors to the increase of 29.1 percent were Western Cape (17.4 percentage points), followed by Gauteng (6.7 percentage points) and North West (5.3 percentage points).
However, a large decrease was reported for KwaZulu-Natal (minus 5 percentage points), with a smaller decrease in Northern Cape (minus 1.3 percentage points).
The overall increases nationally (32.3 percent in the value of plans passed and 29.1 percent in the value of buildings completed) are a reflection of increased economic activity in the 12 months under review.
However, it is noticeable that the provincial distribution of these increases is uneven, with Gauteng and Western Cape showing the highest rate of increase in both plans passed and buildings completed, and some provinces reporting decreases.
To some extent, increases might also be accounted for through improved reporting of administrative data. For some time, some local authorities' submission of data to Stats SA appeared to be behind schedule, and this could have resulted in an under-reporting of private sector building activity.
However, after Stats SA approached these municipalities, pointing out that the timeous submission of information was of national importance and an integral element in building a national system of statistics, submission of data has improved.
This might account for some part of the increases in building activity reported.
Administrative records can be a potent tool in statistical collection as long as the records are of appropriate quality and reliability, and are made available rapidly. The positive response of local authorities to Stats SA's request to reduce the time-lag in submission of information bodes well for the use of this type of administrative information.