SA's big three!

Three provinces contribute overwhelmingly to turning the country’s wheels. They come to the fore in more ways than one.

Together, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape occupy only 20% of the total land area of South Africa. But Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the country’s most populous provinces, account for more than 40% of the total population. Higher levels of urbanisation are also evident, with Gauteng having as many as three of South Africa’s eight metropolitan areas. The United Nations also ranks Johannesburg and Cape Town (located in Gauteng and the Western Cape) seventh and eighth respectively among the ten most populous cities in Africa.

Gauteng alone accounts for more than a third of total South African gross domestic product. The fi nance sector is the single largest contributor to the economies of the three provinces. Manufacturing and trade also
account for significant shares of economic activity. Almost two thirds of all employed people and just over 70% of individual taxpayers are registered in the three provinces combined. Gauteng and the Western Cape have the lowest ratios of people who do not work and are dependent on those that are employed.

Educational outcomes are also significantly better in these areas. The proportions of adults with no education are lowest in Gauteng and the Western Cape. Those that are literate and have higher education are also
most likely to be living in these two provinces. The proportion of people who have attained grade 12 is also relatively high in KwaZulu-Natal.

People in Gauteng and the Western Cape are also better placed to afford medical aid and are more likely, because of their education levels and income status, to have better nutrition levels. Not surprisingly, many of South Africa’s internal and international migrants head for Gauteng and the Western Cape. Statistics South Africa’s estimates for the period 2006-11 indicate that most of the people moving out of the Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the North West, and the Northern Cape headed for Gauteng. Those from the Eastern Cape largely chose to move to the Western Cape.

The data presented in this article bears witness to the disparities between the provinces. An improvement in the fortunes of poorer provinces would certainly help to ease the burden borne by better performing ones.

Courstesy of South African Institute of Race Relations

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