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Up one levelNewsletter 147 - A quarter of South Africans aged seven to 24 not in education
Only 73% of South Africans aged seven to 24 attend an educational institution, according to the 2010 General Household Survey published by Statistics South Africa. The remaining 27% are not in education for various reasons including lack of funds, working at home, inability to perform, and the view that education is useless.
Newsletter 146 - Five provinces record higher road fatality than murder rates
Comparisons between murder and road fatality rates underscore the lack of road safety in the country. In 2010/11, five provinces recorded road fatality rates that were higher than murder rates. The rates for road accident deaths in Limpopo and Mpumalanga were more than double the murder rates.
Newsletter 145 - Fertility rates decline across the country
Fertility rates across all provinces have fallen over the past decade. Gauteng and the Western Cape continue to have relatively low rates.
Newsletter 144 - Results of the municipal by-elections
By-elections were held on 7th September and 5th October in 26 municipal wards across five provinces. The African National Congress (ANC) lost three seats, and now holds 21 of the 26 contested available seats. The Democratic Alliance (DA) lost one seat and won two. The Congress of the People (Cope) won one seat. Voter turnout averaged 34%.
Newsletter 143 - Population shows signs of slower growth and future decline
South Africa’s population is growing at a declining rate and will begin to shrink. A provincial breakdown shows that decline, owing to internal migration, is not universal across the nine provinces.
Newsletter 142 - Seventeen-year provincial murder rate trends
The murder rate in the country has fallen by over 50% in the last 17 years. All provinces registered significant declines. Limpopo maintained its position as having the lowest murder rate while Gauteng improved from having the second worst murder rate to having the fourth best rate.
Newsletter 141 - South Africa's indigent households increase by 16% between 2009 and 2010
According to the Non-financial census for municipalities for the year ended 30 June 2010, South Africa had 16% more indigent households in 2010 than it did in 2009. Limpopo saw an increase in the number of such households, while the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Northern Cape all saw decreases. In 2010, the Eastern Cape had the highest number of indigent households, while the Northern Cape had the lowest.
Newsletter 140 - Life expectancy on a recovery path
In all provinces, men have realised gains in life expectancy of about ten months to just over two years. Women in five provinces picked up by between two months and two years. Women in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and the North West, however, now have a slightly reduced life expectancy. There has been no change for women in the Free State, the province which also has the lowest life expectancy for both sexes.
Newsletter 139 - Households in formal backyard dwellings on the decline
Households in formal backyard dwellings have decreased significantly in number since 1996. Occupation of the dwellings by relatives and improvements to the structures, rather than their demolition, has contributed to the big drop.
Newsletter 138 - Metros hike service tariffs to fund a R13 billion increase in operating budgets
Between the 2009/10 and 2010/11 financial years, metropolitan municipalities collectively increased their operating budgets from R98 billion (R98bn) to R111 billion (R111bn). Service tariff hikes were implemented to fund this increase. Electricity tariffs increased the most. Ekurhuleni experienced the highest electricity tariff hike, at 29%.
Newsletter 137 - Limpopo and the Eastern Cape rely more on grants than on salaries
This newsletter lists the proportions of households relying on the two major income sources in South Africa: salaries and grants. In the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, grants are the dominant source of income. Gauteng and the Western Cape, which have bigger economies, are at the fore of provinces whose households depend chiefly on salaries.
Newsletter 136 - Marked preference for armed response as private security rises fastest in less affluent provinces
Over a five-year period, all nine provinces across the country showed an increasing demand for private security services. The less affluent provinces showed the largest increases. The armed response division of the private security industry proved to be the most popular choice for clients.
Newsletter 135 - Inadequate disaster risk management in local and district municipalities
Some 40% of local municipalities have disaster risk management centres functioning at a low level, 46% of district municipalities have centres functioning only partially, while the metros have adequate disaster risk management in place. So says a report on disaster risk management at municipalities in South Africa by the African Centre for Disaster Studies.
Newsletter 134 - KwaZulu-Natal tops settled land claims list
This newsletter gives an outline of the progress in land restitution claims between 1994/95 and 2008/09. Some beneficiaries received financial compensation instead of land and KwaZulu-Natal led in both land settlements and financial compensation. Gauteng and the Western Cape saw the least amount of land transferred.
Newsletter 133 - Access to landlines drops while cellular phones in households soar
The proportion of households with access to mobile phones increased rapidly over a three-year period in South Africa. On the other hand, the proportion of households with access to landline telephones declined. Households in the North West, as well as Indian and white households bucked the trend, however.
Newsletter 132 - More than 50% of the country's waste water management systems perform poorly
This year’s “Green Drop” report on waste water management gives the Western Cape the highest provincial score at 83% and the Northern Cape the lowest at 23%. The minimum rating is 50% while a rating of 90% and above indicates excellent standards. Analysis of the 2010/11 Green Drop results indicate that municipal waste water service management in the country varies from ‘excellent’ (5%), to ‘unacceptable’ (39%).
Newsletter 130 - Rail accidents claim more public victims than passengers
Members of the public accounted for the majority of rail accident fatalities in two following years. The bulk of the fatal accidents were caused when people were struck during train movements.
Newsletter 131 - Gauteng's drinking water exceptional
This newsletter gives an overview of the ratings of the nine provinces in terms of the quality of their drinking water. It also notes the highest ranking municipality in each province. Blue Drop certificates, signifying excellent standards, were awarded to 7% of the systems assessed.
Newsletter 129 - Metropolitan municipal politics becoming a two-horse race
Results from the recent local government election suggest that the African National Congress (ANC) may be losing its stronghold over municipal politics. The proportion of ANC council seats in the eight metropolitan municipalities has declined by four percentage points since the 2006 election, while that of the Democratic Alliance (DA) has increased by nine.
Newsletter 128 - Access to electricity improves in all but two provinces
Between 2002 and 2010, the proportion of households without electricity decreased in seven out of the nine provinces. The improvement did not extend to Gauteng and the Western Cape, however.
