Issued by: GCIS
30 May 2000
Stats SA today confirmed that the present Head, Dr Mark Orkin, has been appointed the new President of the HSRC. He will be leaving Stats SA in two to three months time.
"In Stats SA we have addressed the half dozen key transformation programmes that were priorities when I started five years ago". Dr Orkin noted. "And the large-scale strategic projects for the next five years are under way, including Census 2001, the labour force surveys, provincial GDPs, and the interdepartmental business register. This is a sensible time for a change."
"The HSRC position presents a challenging opportunity for enhancing the impact of social-science resarch on the development needs of the country."
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, to whom Stats SA reports, said that it was a tribute to both Stats SA and to Dr Orkin that he would now be continuing his work in the public service sector at an even higher level.
"Stats SA received accolades from all the parliamentary parties last week during the Budget Vote of the Finance Department. It is essential that we have a team in place at Stats SA that can deliver accurate and unimpeachable figures to the government and to civil society so that we can plan for a better future."
"Dr Orkin has led the formation of that team admirably. Although my department and I will be sorry to see him go, we believe it is a tribute to the kind of work he and Stats SA has done that the country's social science research council have now appointed him as its head."
"Dr Orkin will continue to serve a dynamic public service sector although now in another capacity," he said.
Mr Manuel said a process to recruit a new head of Stats SA was already underway. In terms of the new Statistics Act, Stats SA is to be headed by a Statistician General, appointed by the President in Cabinet.
He and his department were committed to maintaining the high quality, integrity and honesty of work at Stats SA. "As I said during our budget vote last week, if we can't measure it, we can't manage it."
He added that Stats SA would continue reporting in conformity with the IMF's standards and that he was committed to maintaining the high standards already established. SA is the first developing country to comply with the IMF's standards for reporting on statistical data, which enhances South Africa's credibility considerably with internationals capital and investor markets.
For further details, contact Ms Pippa Green, 012-315 5304/021-4644104 or Dr Mark Orkin, Head: Stats SA, 012-310-8075