Kopanong

The Kopanong Local Municipalityis situated in southern Free State. It has the largest surface area of the three local municipalities in the Xhariep district, covering 15 190 km2.

The nine towns situated in Kopanong are Trompsburg(municipal head office), Gariep Dam, Springfontein, Bethulie, Philippolis, Jagersfontein, Fauresmith, Edenburg and Reddersburg.

Kopanong has an immense potential for tourism. The largest dam in South Africa, the Gariep Dam, is situated at the southern border of the region. The potential of this huge water body for tourism is endless.

It is ideal for water sport such as sailing, windsurfing, fishing, etc. It is also the venue of the Gariep 500 rubberduck race, which is the longest inland rubber-duck race in the world, and the Gariep Water Sport Festival.

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Merafong City

The Merafong City Local Municipality is a local municipality in the West Rand district of Gauteng. Its boundaries enclose some of the richest gold mines in the world. It is situated about 65 km from Johannesburg and is serviced by a number of major roads, including the N12 from Johannesburg to Cape Town and the N14. (www.merafong.gov.za)read more »

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Impendle

Impendle  local Municipality is located on the south western boundary of the uMgungundlovu District, and shares a boundary with the Sisonke District to the south and the KwaSani Municipality, which includes towns such as Underberg  and Himeville. To the north is the uMngeni which is closely tied to Impendle in terms of agriculture and potential tourism (Midlands Meander), and to east the Msunduzi Municipality which is the capital of the province and the economic hub of the District. To the west is District Management areas of the Drakensberg that fall under the Transfrontier Development Initiative related to the World Heritage Site. (uMgnugndlovu District Municipality IDP 2012/13).

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Imbabazane

Imbabazane Local Municipality is located at the foothills of the Central Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park (World Heritage Site), and is situated between Okhahlamba, Umtshezi and Mooi-Mpofana Municipalities. The majority of the population of Imbabazane Municipality resides in rural villages scattered throughout the municipal area, particularly in traditional authority areas.

Estcourt is the closest urban centre to Imbabazane, and serves as a regional shopping and service centre offering specialist services including medical, education and manufacturing.

Many of the government departments serving Imbabazane have regional offices located in Estcourt. Ladysmith is the main regional shopping and services centre and boasts a healthy industrial centre that continues to expand. Estcourt and Ladysmith are the main employment centres for Imbabazane.

Imbabazane does not have a well-defined settlement pattern, which along with poor municipal capacity has inhibited service delivery.

(Source: www.localgovernment.co.za)

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Umhlabuyalingana

uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipalityi s one of five municipalitiesthat fall within uMkhanyakude District Municipality.  uMhlabuyalingana is located in the far northern part of KwaZulu-Natal, sharing its northern border with the country of Mozambique.

The municipality is deeply rural, with almost its entire population living in traditional authority areas. Several nature reserves are located within the municipality, including the Isimangaliso Wetland Park which is a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia).

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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 »

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Poverty

Poverty is a key development challenge in social, economic and political terms; not only in South Africa but throughout the developing world. In post-apartheid South Africa, fighting the legacy of poverty and under-development has always been a central theme of Government. This was cemented in the Reconstruction and Development Plan (RDP) of 1994 and reiterated in the National Development Plan (NDP) published in 2011.

The guiding objectives of the NDP is the elimination of poverty and the reduction in inequality and all the elements of the plan must demonstrate their effect on these two objectives. The Living Conditions Survey (LCS) and the Income and Expenditure Survey (IES) conducted by Stats SA are the two primary contributors toward profiling and monitoring poverty and inequality over time.

These two surveys are fundamental components to the survey programme of any statistical agency. They are the leading tools for the measurement of absolute poverty and inequality and they are an extremely important building block for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to stay current with the changing spending and consumption patterns of the country.

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sustainable development goals

The global agenda on sustainable development is best expressed through the SDGs, what one can best describe as the ultimate measure of progress which is about prosperity for people and planet. The SDGs, a set of 17 “Global Goals”, 169 targets, and 230 indicators, are a standard for evaluating if progress is being made across the world to reduce poverty, improve quality of life, and realise aspirations of the masses of people towards development. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Indicator Baseline Report 2017 This report sheds light on what has been done and on what more needs to be accomplished in order to rid South Africa of extreme poverty. Structure of the report The report covers all 17 goals stated in the SDG documents. Each goal will be treated as a separate chapter in the report. Each chapter will be structured as follows: 1)         An introduction linking the sustainable development goal to the country’s National Development Plan (NDP), related policies, programmes and projects initiated by departments and institutions. 2)         Statement of the individual targets relating to the goal together with all indicators pertaining to specific targets. 3)         The definition of the indicator as well as the method of computing the indicator values. 4)         A baseline indicator value and where applicable, a chart/table indicating changes over time for the selected indicators are given. Baseline indicator values are based on data obtained during the base year (2016) or the year closest to 2016 for which data was available. In instances where the base year/period is not referenced on the charts/tables, the base year is 2016. 5)         Indication of the data source(s). 6)         Where possible, a comment section relating to the indicator is included. Click here for GoalTracker Portalread more »

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Causes of Death 2013

The registration of deaths in South Africa is governed by the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 (Act No. 51 of 1992), as amended. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) uses death notification form DHA-1663 to register all deaths and stillbirths. Stats SA collects completed death notification forms from the DHA head office for data processing, analysis, report writing and dissemination. Causes of death statistics are compiled in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) regulations that require that member nations classify and code causes of death using the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). Statistics from civil registration are the only national source of information on mortality and causes of death in South Africa. Such information is invaluable for the assessment and monitoring of the health status of the population and for planning of adequate health interventions. Accordingly, these statistics are also essential in tracking progress and monitoring key development objectives outlined in the National Development Plan (NDP) adopted by the South African government in 2012. The plan asserts that health care can be improved through decreasing mortality by combating infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS and the emerging tide of non-communicable diseases. The government objective, ‘Health care for all by 2030’ outlined in the NDP is aimed at reducing child and infant mortality; maternal mortality; and combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases by 2030.read more »

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Gender Statistics

South Africa has a history of exclusion and discrimination on all kinds of grounds, such as race and gender. For this reason we have developed one of the most inclusive constitutions in the world, with a Bill of Rights that specifically refers to equal treatment for all regardless of race, age, disability status, socio-economic status and gender (Section 9). Legislation – such as the Employment Equity Act of 1998 – has facilitated access to formal employment for women, where employers are legally required to work towards more equitable representation based on gender, race and disability. Our National Development Plan 2030 envisions an inclusive society and economy, free from unequal opportunities through capacity building, redress and increased interaction. Through a combination of legislation, monitoring and accountability, significant progress has been made in this regard, especially in the public sector. For example, the percentage of women in senior management positions in the public service increased from 13% in 1998 to 42% in 2017. Gender and gender statistics are not just about women. Whereas the term sex refers to a biological male/female classification, the word gender connotes more than that. It encapsulates social and cultural differences, and also includes how an individual views him-/herself. The term “gender role” relates to society’s concept of how men and women are expected to act. Gender stereotypes form the basis of sexism, or the prejudiced beliefs that value males over females or vice versa. Gender inequality refers to the unequal treatment and/or perceptions of inequality of men in relation to women or vice versa. Even though there are instances where discrimination occurs against men, more often than not women are at a disadvantage. This is manifested in, for example, preferential access to work and/or certain jobs for men, unequal pay for equal work, bullying, domination and violence against women, selective abortion of female children, and preferential household expenditure on boys’ education. While great strides have been made towards equality for women, there still remains great challenges; there is a need for continued measurement and policy and programmatic interventions. In addition to monitoring progress with regard to the situation of men and women, an understanding of gender gaps in the following key areas will move the agenda of leaving no one behind forward: Market participation – Equal representation of both sexes in the labour force is important; gender equality allows for an increase in the number of women participating in the work force, which expands the labour force and can contribute towards increased economic productivity and growth. Resource equity – Indicators of men’s and women’s asset ownership and control are important measures used to monitor gender equality. This is achieved when people are able to access and enjoy the same rewards, resources and opportunities regardless of whether they are male or female. Women’s ownership of and control over resources is one of the key elements of empowerment. Governance – Gender equality in positions of decision-making, as well as political representation, are important not only from an empowerment perspective, but also to ensure that issues affecting women are considered during policy formulation, planning and programme/project implementation. Stats SA publishes a wide range of statistics in various reports and publications, highlighting the challenges experienced by women and men in South Africa as measured through household surveys and censuses conducted by Stats SA, as well as other sources.read more »

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