PROFILE: Risenga Maluleke — a Number One SA can count on
The new statistician-general is widely respected for his experience and integrity, and is seen as responsible, focused on service and wary of political interference
At a time when state capture has hollowed out so many crucial state institutions — and Stats SA and the Reserve Bank remain among the few entities untouched — the appointment of the new statistician-general has been keenly watched. SA’s official statistics are not faultless, but they are independent and credible. Significant steps have also been taken in recent years to improve the robustness of some of the most important indicators, including consumer inflation and gross domestic product. So economists breathed a sigh of relief when Pali Lehohla, the previous statistician-general, said he was "distinctly pleased" by president Jacob Zuma’s choice of Risenga Maluleke as his replacement. Maluleke was Stats SA’s deputy director-general for statistical collections and outreach. He has served within Stats SA for 20 years, having joined the agency as a manager at the Limpopo provincial office in 1997. Lehohla describes Maluleke as "a well-tested professional" and a "servant-leader" who is...
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