The then Minister Manuel, who headed the National Planning Commission, NPC, had this to say about the relationship between Statistics SA and the NDP, and I quote:
I can confirm with confidence that Stats SA has graduated into the fact finder of the nation as prescribed in the Statistics Act (Act No 6 of 1999). Over the last five years especially, the organisation has built intellectual leadership that holds its own in the country and globally, and should, going forward, be in a position to implement the Statistics Act fully ... The organisation not only holds its own, but has become a hub of competence from which other agencies draw important lessons ... In the next five years, Stats SA will become more central to evidence- based policy-making by elevating its statistics and products to the threshold of policy-making, monitoring and evaluation, as prescribed in the Statistics Act.
Statistics SA is one institution that lies at the heart of the success of our new trajectory. We are proud that this important institution has grown in leaps and bounds over the past 20 years and is today one of the revered entities, continuously providing reliable data, which is essential for our micro and macro planning across all spheres of society. [Applause.]
We are pleased that the organisation itself has not rested on its laurels, but continually seeks new and better ways to enhance efficiency and responds accurately to the new demands of society, government and the broader state. [Interjections.]