Latest news with #PaliLehohla
IOL News
30-06-2025
- General
- IOL News
Why StatsSA's credibility remains strong amidst criticism
StatsSA is an institution that remains a jewel and a precious gem that sheds light in the nooks and crannies of our society, says Pali Lehohla Image: AI LABS To our Johnnies come lately albeit in their old age in the world of public measurement, I thought an orientation is necessary. I remind them of my statement when StatsSA was granted the rights to host the very first World Data Forum in 2017 which gave rise to the Cape Town Global Action Program (CTGAP). This granted South Africa a sacred responsibility of custodianship as the mother of the World Data Forum. Smirching statistics for no sound reason and out of ignorance is attracting a thunderbolt that will make the grey listing march like a clown on the Union Building Grounds. It is tempering with keg powder. In my capacity as the Statistician-General and host of this prestigious conference was nothing short of affirmation of confidence in Statistics South Africa in the world of statistics. This picture and its integrity has not changed seven years on and counting under the Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke. The World Bank had this to say about the CTGAP, 'Since 2017, the Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data (CTGAP) has provided a framework for planning and implementing the statistical capacity building activities needed to achieve the scope and intent of the 2030 Agenda and to mobilise funding for the modernization of national statistical systems across the world.' StatsSA is an institution that remains a jewel and a precious gem that sheds light in the nooks and crannies of our society. Yet some ignoramus amongst us had the audacity to cast aspersions on this institution. Perhaps they are horrified by our perpetual inability to get out of a downward spiral and they attribute this to the floodlight that places this deepening deformity under the searchlight. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Certainly, there is nowhere to hide as StatsSA has amply showed. To just go down the memory lane for any doubting Thomas here was my statement when the United Nations Press asked me about what I envisioned as the host institution for the very first World Data Forum in early January 2017. The first question I addressed was, "What do you expect from the first-ever United Nations World Data Forum? What outcomes would you like to see?" Statistics is a conduit of trust. It is a currency that holds a global promise for Transparency, Results, Accountability, Sustainability and Transformation (TRAST). It, therefore, creates the possibility and can facilitate global peace, progress and prosperity. It is for this reason that post-World War II, when the paragon of world peace, the United Nations, was established, statistics was central to it. From the very first-ever United Nations World Data Forum that will be held in Cape Town from 15-January, 18, 2017. I have two messages. First I expect that society in its entirety should understand the value and beauty of statistics, and that without society as collective respondents and purveyors and actors on data, without statistics and measurement, without high-quality statistical evidence, without appropriate indicators to communicate the evidence, without informed issue identification and informed policy action for results and remedy, and without the statisticians themselves, the world does not have an information system for any form of development, let alone sustainable development. The second message is especially crucial for first and foremost statisticians themselves, so that they realise their historical calling. To be of service to global peace, progress and prosperity, statisticians must transform. The only way statistics can be useful is by engaging actively with the purveyors and politics of policy making and makers, academia, geoscience and locational technology, NGOs, technology, finance, media and citizenry. The second question I had to address was, "As a statistician, what do you see as the main challenges and opportunities we have for how to use data in the service of sustainable development?" My answer was that one major challenge is to realise this vision of 'you are because I am and we are,' that is the global Ubuntu; each one counts and therefore it counts to be counted. In many poor countries registration of the beginning, living and demise of life is woefully inadequate. Censuses of the population and population models are poor substitutes for a properly functioning civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system in countries. In Africa, from 2010 we initiated a vibrant CRVS movement, although it waned and now it is in dire need of a life-saving jab. It however still remains a pioneering act. Another challenge is to understand that without geographic or spatial attributes, statistical tables count for very little. At an analytical level, geographically weighted regression has demonstrated the instrumentality of spatio-temporal determinants in policy design and implementation. And this calls for the application of detailed geography for a differentiated approach to influence appropriate policy outcomes. For this to happen, disaggregation of phenomena into its atomic attributes is not only desirable but it is mandatory. In human populations this disaggregation would be by age, sex, disability, employment status, school attendance, education level, income and all this by space across time in order to leave no one behind. All these challenges require capacity and resources – to improve current methods and to find ways to incorporate new data sources. It is all an opportunity as well – because of the framework created by the Millennium Development Goals, we made a lot of progress on statistics at the national level around the world, and now we will make even more progress, in ways we can't even imagine. Dr Pali Lehohla is a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, among other hats. Image: Supplied Dr Pali Lehohla is a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, a Research Associate at Oxford University, a board member of Institute for Economic Justice at Wits and a distinguished Alumni of the University of Ghana. He is the former Statistician-General of South Africa. *** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL. BUSINESS REPORT
TimesLIVE
30-06-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
The thing around your neck: how do youth throw off the leash?
Pali Lehohla and Nomvula Mabuza of IDS compare young South Africans with their Kenyan counterparts as the East Africans confront a cannibalistic state By Pali Lehohla and Nomvula Mabuza engage in deliberative polemics of a country silenced in what historian Martin Legassick characterises as the dissolution-preservation dichotomy and uncover the classical apartheid management framework that has fossilised in our current and like cancer survives by devouring its host. When you get asked a million dollar question, what do you do? Obviously you answer. But suddenly the discourse uncovers more than you sought to answer. A relevant concerns Kenya and South Africa, which represent two settler colonial experiences, and an unfolding crisis of existence, one with deep apartheid structures, the other cutting not as deep. To try to answer, the immediate obvious is about the necessary intervention that government has put in place to avert cannibalism as explicated in the Indlulamithi Scenarios as a Vulture State. This perhaps is what the national dialogue should be about. But necessary as it is, the intervention tends to be a palliative consisting of grants and the like. In Kenya the assistive government system is far lower than in South Africa. This to an extent exposes the youth of Kenya to the immediacy of their challenge, whereas in South Africa that immediacy is muted by R350 per month and an apartheid infrastructure that has kept the native populations hidden far from power centres. These centres of power, by being occupied by populations largely from the continent, Asia and South Africa's middle class, act as a buffer relative to the in-your-face experiences of Kenya. So here is the metaphor for the situation represented by a dog and a hyena that meet one day. The hyena admires the fur of the dog. Asking the dog why when times are so tough, the dog's fur is so smooth and not scrubby like that of the hyena, the dog replies that its master feeds and takes care of it, and it even has a house. Impressed, the hyena wants to join the dog at its master's place, until it notices a ring around the neck that looks unnatural and where the fur has disappeared. The hyena asks the dog about the collar. The dog replies, master keeps me on a leash. That's it, the hyena says, no leash for me. Freedom is what I need. So it looks like the R350 and other programmes are these multiple leashes. The contemplative polemic buried in your question, Mabuza tells me, addresses the form and palliative nature of these multiple leashes that lull the nerves of the youth who often sit heads in their hands, eyes fixated on an empty future. And, she adds, each of your columns seek to undo the links of these chains. The deliberative polemic brought even more clarity as Mabuza began to plough into my metaphor: 'Your parable of the dog and the hyena so elegantly captures the psychological and structural trade-offs that we've normalised in South Africa: the appearance of care, comfort and protection masking a deeper restraint on agency, imagination and action. That collar — soft but constraining — is precisely what so many of our young people wear. Not visible, yet profoundly shaping posture, movement, and ultimately, destiny. 'What struck me most in your reply was the idea that the R350 and other social grants, while vital in a context of deep deprivation, have inadvertently become part of a broader architecture of containment. They soothe but do not solve. They stabilise but do not transform. And, as you rightly point out, they lull the nerves while futures remain locked behind structural bars. 'Your framing also challenged me to reflect more critically on what I've been trying to do through my columns. You've helped me see that what I am writing is not just analysis — it is an attempt to unhook the leash, one link at a time. Not to attack the dog or romanticise the hyena, but to ask a more fundamental question: what kind of freedom are we prepared to fight for, and what are we willing to give up to claim it?' This perhaps is what the national dialogue should be about. • Nomvula Mabuza is a risk governance and compliance specialist with extensive experience in strategic risk and industrial operations and an MBA candidate at Henley Business School • Dr Pali Lehohla is a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, a Research Associate at Oxford University, a board member of Institute for Economic Justice at Wits and a distinguished Alumni of the University of Ghana. He is the former Statistician-General of South Africa
The Citizen
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Do you have a business in ICT and financial services sector? Here is a competition worth R4.2 million
Through the competition, 14 businesses will be awarded R300 000 each towards their business needs. Panelists at the Old Mutual SMEgo Pitchathon competition. From left to right: Pali Lehohla – former statistician general , Thabang Mkhuma – Technical Advisor 4IR, MICT, Nobesuthu Ndlovu – Director SME, Old Mutual Corporate, Lincoln Mali – CEO Lesaka Technology, Talifhani Banks – CEO Analytics X and Spaza Eats. Picture: Supplied If you have a business in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and financial services sectors, Old Mutual is offering a competition in which you could walk away with a share of R4.2 million prize money. The financial services group launched its second edition of the SMEGo Pitchathon on Tuesday in Johannesburg for businesses in the two sectors. This is Old Mutual's initiative to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa, as the sector plays a significant role in providing employment opportunities. There is a high rate of small businesses failing in the first five years, with the common denominator being a lack of funding. What does the competition require? Nobesuthu Ndlovu, director of SME at Old Mutual Corporate, said they are looking for businesses that already have a track record, which includes the number of employees, the business's turnover, and other key factors. Another key focus area for entrepreneurs to highlight when entering the business is the solution their business aims to achieve. Through the competition, 14 businesses will be awarded R300 000 each towards their business needs. ALSO READ: Challenges and opportunities for SMEs in 2025 What has the competition achieved? For 2024, 10 businesses were awarded R300 000 each. Lindiwe Shibambo, founder of Maid4U, and Lebogang Maloisane, founder of Softmeetz, used their share prize from 2024 to pay for operational costs, keeping their businesses afloat. During the launch, a panel discussion around 'Addressing crucial issues in financing black – owned businesses in the ICT and Financial Service sectors in South Africa' was held. It featured entrepreneurs who have walked the journey of struggling with funding. Ndlovu highlighted that there is a disconnect between SMEs and lenders because some of these businesses lack a sufficient track record to secure funding. Therefore, they are seeking solutions to address the 5% approval rate that SMEs face in securing funding. Competition helps with employment She said she started her business while still a full-time employee because she wanted to help combat the high rate of unemployment. She has a business in fashion, and raised the question 'if one business can employ 150 people, imagine how many people 10 businesses will employ?' 'The Old Mutual SMEgo Pitchathon is more than just a competition – it is about creating an ecosystem where great ideas can grow into scalable, sustainable businesses.' SME support Pali Lehohla, the former statistician-general, added that the number of black businesses receiving funding is concerning. 'Government funding vehicles do not feature; banks are at 5% since 2001. SMEs are being funded by family and friends. This is the source of funding for businesses.' He said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, R200 billion was made available for businesses, but only a small portion of that money was distributed. 'Even in times of crisis, there is no urgency to address a critical growth vehicle for SMEs. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been no reflection on how we can improve this process. It also speaks to the fact that we are not a learning nation' ALSO READ: Entrepreneurship a solution to youth unemployment – but there are challenges Innovation is key Thabang Mkhuma, Technical Advisor at the MICT SETA, emphasised that innovation is at the heart of economic growth. He said he has noted how many people are worried that the fourth Industrial Revolution will take their jobs, but that is not true, as tech is here to enhance, not replace. 'The only way the fourth Industrial Revolution will take your job is if you do not upskill yourself,' he added. Innovating creates entrepreneurs. 'We have adopted the triple helix model of innovation that involves academia, government and the industry to collaborate to foster innovation' Benefits of tech Talifhani Banks, CEO of Analytics X, spoke about the introduction of cell phones and how they have contributed to society for the better. Stating that any technological innovation will be for the betterment of society. The panellists were asked if tech is the answer. To which they replied yes. They emphasised that entrepreneurs can explore how technology can be utilised to enhance education and increase employment opportunities. How to enter Applications for the Pitchathon open on June 24 and close on August 15, 2025. The Live Pitch events will be held on 17 September in Johannesburg and 19 September in Cape Town. Pre-qualifying criteria include 51% black ownership, an annual turnover of R500 000, and a minimum of six months trading history. To enter, visit NOW READ: Mid-year financial check for SMEs: Tips to prepare for the next six months
