Statistics Act, 1999 (Act No. 6 of 1999)

1. Definitions

Purchase

In this Act, unless the context indicates otherwise--

"business"

means any individual, juristic person or partnership carrying on a commercial activity;

"Cabinet"

means the Cabinet in the national sphere of government, referred to in section 91 of the Constitution;

"Constitution"

means the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. 108 of 1996);

"Council"

means the South African Statistics Council, established by section 8(1);

"document"

includes—

(a)	a form, questionnaire, schedule, notice or report whether in printed or photographic form;

(b)	a documentary recording or transcribed computer printout or record capable of being produced as a printout by a mechanical or electronic device;

(c)	a medium or device by means of which information is recorded or stored;

"household"

means a group of people who live together at least four nights a week, eat together and share resources, or a single person who lives alone;

"Minister"

means the Minister of Finance or such other Minister as the President may assign to be the executing authority for the purposes of this Act;

"officer"

in relation to Statistics South Africa, means--

(a)	a member of the staff of Statistics South Africa referred to in section 7(3)(a); or

(b)	any other person appointed by the Statistician-General to perform work on behalf of Statistics South Africa;

"official statistics"

means statistics designated as official statistics by the Statistician-General in terms of section 14(7);

"organ of state"

means—

(a)	any department of state or administration in the national, provincial or local sphere of government; or

(b)	any other functionary or institution—

(i)	exercising a power or performing a duty in terms of the Constitution or a provincial constitution; or

(ii)	exercising a public power or performing a public duty in terms of any legislation,

but does not include a court or a judicial officer;

"other organisation"

means any non-governmental or non-profit organisation, voluntary association or other organisation other than a business, household or organ of state;

"Public Service Act"

means the Public Service Act, 1994 (Proclamation No. 103 of 1994);

"respondent"

means—

(a)	any individual or household in respect of whom or which; or

(b)	any organ of state, business or other organisation in respect of whose activities or affairs,

any information is sought or provided for purposes of a statistical collection in terms of this Act;

"return"

means a document completed by—

(a)	a respondent; or

(b)	an officer of Statistics South Africa or of another organ of state which produces statistics,

for the purpose of producing official or other statistics;

"statistical collection"

means the process of-

(a)	conducting a population or other census or a sample survey; or

(b)	collating administrative records or data for statistical purposes;

"Statistician-General"

means the person appointed as Statistician-General in terms of section 6(1);

"statistics"

means aggregated numerical information relating to demographic, economic, financial, environmental, social or similar matters, at national, provincial or local level, which is compiled and analysed according to relevant scientific and statistical methodology;

"Statistics South Africa"

means the department contemplated in section 4(1).