Thank you, Chair. Mr Minister, you started your speech by referring to the flight problems in Europe. When I fly around I see the Minister sitting in business class, which is right at the front of the plane. I want to warn you against it; it is very dangerous there - because I have never seen a plane reverse into a mountain!
The fact that there is no media coverage here can be ascribed, Mr Minister, probably to the fact that the statistics department is not one of the most glamorous departments in government, but it fulfils a very important role for the purposes of planning public policy and decision-making.
It is also important for monitoring and evaluating the programmes of both government and business. The accuracy and reliability of the statistics produced by the department are therefore of the utmost importance.
The last full census was held in 2001. The census which was due to be held in 2006 was replaced with a community survey and the next full census is only planned for 2011. The likelihood of using outdated figures, therefore, particularly in respect of population statistics, is an unfortunate certainty.
By its own admission, the population statistics obtained by the department in the previous surveys could reflect a population undercount of as much as 17%. This has serious implications, especially for government programmes since transfers to provincial governments, in particular, are based and are proportionately paid on these erroneous population statistics.
It will lead to serious payout distortions. We find that government monetary transfers to more densely populated provinces, in respect of health, for instance, have the effect of funding to these provinces being much more advantageous than to rural provinces where low population densities are found. This leads to poor service delivery at clinics and hospitals in rural areas as the funding received is simply not sufficient.
Not only does Statistics SA work with statistics off an erroneous base, but the position is further worsened by the monthly updates received from the Department of Home Affairs.
The data on the population register at the Department of Home Affairs is highly suspect. The Department of Home Affairs is also unlikely to have any factual information with regard to the number of illegal immigrants in South Africa and to whose livelihood the South African taxpayer contributes.
It also doubtful whether any adjustments in population statistics of provinces were made after cross-border changes to municipalities, or whether any account is taken of the massive migration of the population from rural to metro areas.
In its strategic plan the department identifies many of its shortcomings. Remedial action by way of more and regular accurate population censuses is now of the utmost importance, and we must make sure that the information they are gathering is accepted by the South African public as being completely trustworthy.
I agree with you, Mr Minister, that we should set the target for undercounting at 2%. In fact, we should go to 1,9% because I am not to be told that the Australians count better than we do! Thank you.