Cape Dreams News from in and around the Cape
The Argus reports that people living in the Western Cape are better off than those in most other provinces. Most live in brick houses, have access to running water, flushing toilets and a better education than the average citizen, according to census figures released on Tuesday.
There are 5.8 million people living in the Western Cape, of whom 2.8 million are coloureds, 1.9 million are black African, 910 600 are white and 58 000 are Indian/Asian. The Western Cape and Gauteng have been confirmed as the provinces that attract the most people (numbering in the millions) because of greater economic activity.
Seventy-one percent of people living in the Western Cape were born here, while 16 percent come from the Eastern Cape and the remainder from other provinces. Census statistics showed that the flood of people from largely rural provinces to Gauteng and the Western Cape was unceasing, said Statistician General Pali Lehohla at the release of the figures on Tuesday.
The Western Cape population has grown by 29 percent, making it the fastest growing region, outpacing Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West, which grew collectively at 26 percent. The rest of the provinces grew at 6 percent.
People who live here are more than likely to be better off than in other provinces. For example, while the expanded unemployment rate rides at 40 percent nationally, it is only 29.3 percent in the Western Cape. Census figures show people here and in Gauteng earn more money and have access to better services.
White people, however, earn six times more than black people and white people are more likely to be employed. White households earn an average of R365 134, a year, while black households earn a meagre R60 613.
The average national income is R103 204 a year, while the annual average annual income in the Western Cape is R143 460. There are 1 313 637 brick and mortar houses across the Western Cape and 320 363 informal and traditional houses.
An average family of three or four live in a four-roomed house, which they own, but are still paying off the bond. There are 164 houses which boast 20 rooms. Stoves are high on the list of priorities with most households and 1.47 million people owning one.
More people own cellphones than fridges: 1.452 million households have at least one cellphone, but there are only 1.315 million fridges in the province.
More than 95 percent of children aged between seven and 14 go to school, but only 14.4 percent of adults in the province have post-school qualifications. This is, however, higher than the national average of 12.1 percent, but lower than Gauteng, where 18 percent of adults have tertiary qualifications. Only 7.5 percent of people in the Northern Cape have studied beyond matric.
White people have the highest level of education – 36.5 percent have tertiary qualifications while 39.5 percent have a matric certificate.
Census 2011 puts the country’s average age at 25, an indicator that South Africa continues to have a youthful population, even though it is ageing slowly. The average age according to the 1996 and 2001 census was 22 and 23, respectively.
In line with global trends, there were more women in the country than men. On average, there were 95 men to every 100 women.
Stats SA estimated a 14.6 percent undercount in the 2011 census.
