Ulundi

The Ulundi Local Municipality is located in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal. It covers anarea ofapproximately 3 250 km².It includes the traditional authorities of Buthelezi, Hlatswayo, Jama, LukwaziNtuli, Mbatha, Mpungose, Ndebele, Ntombele, Usustu, Ximba, and Zondo. Approximately half of the municipal area consists of commercial farms and the area supports a substantial agricultural community.

Ulundi town represents the only urban area in the municipal area, and therefore plays an important role in the provision of social and economic facilities to the total population of Ulundi. This places enormous pressure on the urban area for the delivery of services. A significant number of households in the rural area are headed by females, who are usually more disadvantaged in terms of resources and education.

read more »

---

Ephraim Mogale

Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality, formerly known as Greater Marble Hall Local Municipality is a local municipality (category B4) within the Sekhukhune District Municipality, in Limpopo. The municipality’s new name was adopted in January 2010 with a new slogan that says “Rehlabolla setshaba”, meaning “We develop our people”. The municipality is named after the struggle hero Ephraim Mogale. The municipality borders Makuduthamaga Local Municipality in the south, Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality in the east, Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality in Capricorn District, Mookgopong Local Municipality in Waterberg and Mpumalanga’s Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality. It is situated about 150 km from Polokwane, 100 km from Mokopane, 145 km from Pretoria, and 250 km from Mbombela. The municipality is the second smallest of the five local municipalities in the district, constituting 14,4% of the area with 1 911,07 square kilometres of the district’s 13 264 square kilometres. Land ownership is mostly traditional and the municipality is predominantly rural with about 56 settlements, most of which are villages. The municipality has 16 wards.read more »

---

Greater Tubatse

Greater Tubatse Local municipality is a local municipality (Category B4) within the Sekhukhune District Municipality, in Limpopo Province. The municipality boarders Makuduthamaga Local Municipality in the south, Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality in the east, Fetakgomo Local Municipality, Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality in Capricorn District, Maruleng Local Municipality in Mopani District and Mpumalanga’s Thaba Chweu Local municipality. It is situated about 150 km from Polokwane, and 250 km’s from Mbombela. Geographically the municipality is the biggest of the five (5) local municipalities in Sekhukhune district, constituting 34,3% of the area with 4 550 square kilometers of the district’s 13 264 square kilometers. Land ownership is mostly traditional and the municipality is predominantly rural with about 166 settlements, most of which are villages.  The municipality has 31 wards.read more »

---

uMshwathi

uMshwathi Municipality is situated within uMgungundlovu District Municipality immediately adjacent to Pietermaritzburg. uMshwathi comprises of four major urban centres (New Hanover, Wartburg, Dalton and Cool Air) as well as the rural residential settlements of Swayimane, Mpolweni, Thokozani and Ozwathini. uMshwathi covers an area of about 1 811 km². Economic development opportunities at uMshwathi include the rehabilitation and development of the towns, middle and high-income housing projects as well as development of a road corridor linking the N2 and N3 by traversing the municipality.The importance of agriculture in uMshwathi cannot be overemphasized. Sugar cane is the predominant agricultural pursuit. Manufacturing activities are mainly related to agricultural processing activities, notably sugar and timber processing activities.read more »

---

Mpofana

The Mpofana Municipality is strategically located along the national N3 highway and is approximately 70 km from Pietermaritzburg. The Mooi River sits at the heart of the Midlands Meander with interesting attractions such as the Linen Loft and Sharrow Weaving. Stretches of the river offer boating facilities whilst the upper reaches are a fly fisherman's paradise. Further upstream, the Mooi River Falls are a marvellous site to watch when the river is flooded. The predominant occupation in the area is agriculture, with a wide range of agricultural products being produced. Dairy and stock farming are, however, the main farming activities (uMgungundlovu District Municipality IDP 2012/13).read more »

---

Economic Growth

The diverse structure of the South African economy is a critical aspect of its historical and current growth performance.  The manufacturing sector continues to occupy a significant share of the South Africa economy, despite its relative importance declining from 19 percent in 1993 to about 17 percent in 2012 in real terms.

In line with structural changes in many economies, it not surprising to observe that the finance, real estate and business services sector has increase its relative importance of 17 per cent in 1993 to approximately 24 per cent in 2012. These two sectors and a few more are an important part of the South African growth story since the dawn of democracy.

Despite that, less than a decade into the 21st century, many countries, including South Africa, experienced the global economic crisis.This has affected economic growth in South Africa over the last four years, prompting a deceleration in rate of economic growth.

South Africa experienced an average growth rate of approximately 5 per cent in real terms between 2004 and 2007. However, the period 2008 to 2012 only recorded average growth just above 2 per cent; largely a result of the global economic recession.

Of the nine provinces in South Africa, three power houses stand out. Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and Western Cape collectively contribute a significant portion to the country’s value added, reported at over 60 percent.

read more »

---

Inflation

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) are the two primary measures of inflation for South Africa. Both indicators are published on a monthly basis.The Consumer Price Index tracks the rate of change in the prices of goods and services purchased by consumers. The headline CPI is used as the inflation target measure which guides the South African Reserve Bank on the setting of interest rates.

The Producer Price Index tracks the rate of change in the prices charged by producers of goods. Stats SA publishes PPIs for different industries with the PPI for final manufactured goods being the headline PPI. Additional PPIs are compiled for Agriculture, forestry and fishing; Mining and quarrying; Electricity and water; Intermediate manufactured goods; Imports and Exports; and Construction.

The PPI is widely used by businesses as a contract escalator and as a general indicator of inflationary pressures in the economy.

read more »

---

Agricultural Statistics

The history of agricultural statistics in South Africa goes back as far back as the beginning of the 20th century. With the exception of the World Wars and great depression years, an agricultural census was conducted on annual basis in the first half of the 20th century. As agriculture’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) decreased over the years, so did the frequency of conducting agricultural censuses. Post 1994, agricultural censuses have been conducted on a five yearly basis, with annual surveys being conducted in between the census years. Until now, agricultural censuses and surveys have largely concentrated on commercial agriculture leaving out small-scale and subsistence agriculture. In 2009, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) conducted an audit of agricultural statistics in the country. One of the findings was that the country lacked information on smallholder and subsistence agriculture. The current list of farmers being used to conduct surveys was mainly confined to commercial agriculture. A decision was taken that three questions related to agriculture would be included in the Population Census 2011 (Census 2011) questionnaire. The main objective was to identify all households involved in agriculture in the country, so that a complete frame of all individuals and entities involved in agriculture (both subsistence and commercial) could be generated. This will allow for a comprehensive agricultural census to be conducted.read more »

---

Household Service Delivery Statistics

The dawn of democracy in 1994 created a new dispensation in which access to basic services such as housing, water and sanitation was recognized as a fundamental human right. South Africa inherited high levels of poverty and it continues to be confronted with unequal and often inadequate access to resources, infrastructure and social services. The Bill of Rights enshrined the right to basic services and commanded that the state must take reasonable measures to achieve the progressive realisation of these rights. Faced by inadequate information about the state of development in South Africa, Statistics South Africa (then called the Central Statistical Service) launched the October Household Survey (OHS) programme in 1993. The survey was discontinued in 1999 and subsequently replaced by the General Household Survey (GHS) which was instituted in 2002 in order to determine the level of development in the country and the performance of programs and projects on a regular basis. The GHS continues to evolve and key questions are continuously added and/or modified in consultation with key stakeholders to maintain the relevance and quality of data. In addition to measuring access to key services, the level of satisfaction with, as well as perceived quality of selected services provided by Government are also measured.read more »

---

Transport

Travel survey – Online Updates The National Household Travel survey (NHTS) provides insight into the travel patterns of South African households, providing information on modes of transport used, such as land, air and water transport, as well as cycling, walking, public and private transport. Also included are statistics on travel times, transport challenges experienced by households, and travel patterns related to work, education and leisure. NHTS surveys were conducted in 2003, 2013 and 2020. Transport and the need for transport has become an important part of daily life in South Africa. Not only does the movement of goods and services play an important part in the South African economy, but the types of transport available to individuals affects spatial decisions in terms of work, entertainment, education and place of residence. Stats SA publishes a range of transport-related information in various reports and publications. Travel survey The National Household Travel survey (NHTS) provides insight into the travel patterns of South African households, providing information on modes of transport used, such as land, air and water transport, as well as cycling, walking, public and private transport. Also included are statistics on travel times, transport challenges experienced by households, and travel patterns related to work, education and leisure. NHTS surveys were conducted in 2003 and 2013. Transport and the economy Stats SA’s quarterly Gross domestic product (GDP) release provides information on the size and growth of various industries in the South African economy, including the transport industry. The same publication also includes figures on overall household expenditure on transport. The monthly Motor trade sales release provides the time series data of trade in motor vehicles and motor accessories. The Land transport survey, published on a monthly basis, provides data on passenger and freight transportation by land. The Producer Price Index (PPI) release provides information on the prices of transport equipment leaving the factory gate. The extent to which prices of fuel, public transport and private transport are changing is covered in the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) release. Employment Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) and Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) provide information on the number of individuals employed in various industries, including the transport industry. Financial indicators The Quarterly Financial Statistics (QFS) and Annual Financial Statistics (AFS) reports provide a financial overview of various industries, including transport, storage and communication. Data on turnover, income and expenditure, profit or loss and various balance sheet items are also included in the reports. The transport and storage industry report for 2013 provides more in-depth information on the size, nature and structure of the transport and storage industry. This periodic survey provides details on employment within the industry, trading income, expenditure, profit or loss, inventories, sales and services, and purchases.read more »

---