Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the government agency responsible for generating most of the country’s official economic statistics, will be examining “several” aspects of inflation data that could be problematic, according to Statistician General Pali Lehohla.
Speaking on SA FM radio on Tuesday morning, Lehohla acknowledged that, besides the already-cited problems with using outdated housing rentals data to compile the monthly CPIX (consumer inflation less mortgages) data, there was other data going into the inflation figures that also needed to be investigated.
Stats SA would be revealing some of the problem areas on Friday May 30, when it announces the April inflation data, he added. The release of the data has been delayed by 10 days while Stats SA undertakes its investigation.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said on Monday the government would prioritise certain economic data in a bid to prevent future delays in the release of important figures and restore confidence in the integrity of the country’s economic statistics. – I-Net Bridge