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 »

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Mkhambathini

Mkhambathini Local Municipality is located along the south-eastern boundary of the uMgungundlovu District Municipality and adjoins the Richmond and Msunduzi municipalities to the west, uMshwathi to the north and the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality to the east. The municipal offices are located in the town of Camperdown. Mkhambathini has several comparative advantages emanating from its location near Durban and Pietermaritzburg and adjoining Cato Ridge, which is an industrial node. The N3 runs east-west through the central part of the municipal area and that stretch of the highway has been identified in the Spatial Growth and Development Strategy as a Provincial Corridor (uMgungundlovu District Municipality IDP 2012/13).read more »

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uMhlathuze

uMhlathuze Local Municipality is situated on the north-eastern coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The city provides an attractive reference point and essential socio-economic amenities and facilities to most of the towns in the northern region.read more »

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Nongoma

Nongoma, set in beautiful, picturesque Zululand, is located to the north of KwaZulu-Natal. Nongoma Local Municipality is Zululand’s second largest municipality in terms of population, and the second largest in terms of area. Nongoma is the Royal City of Zululand. It is the home of King Goodwill Zwelethini, and the hereditary leader of the nation and his royal palaces are among the main tourist attractions in the town. The royal family is highly respected and has a dominating presence in this rural and very traditional part of Zululand. Nongoma Town is mainly a service-oriented centre resulting from its being the seat of the Nongoma Local Municipality and centrally located with regard to surrounding rural/farming communities. The radial network of roads all converging in Nongoma Local Municipality bears testimony in this regard.read more »

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Ndwedwe

Ndwedwe Local Municipality is one of the four local municipalities within the Ilembe District Municipality. It has unique tourism attractions (Zulu Rural Cultural Trail) such as the Nhlangakazi Holy Mountain, which represents a significant cultural and religious attraction. It also has beautiful mountains such as the Ozwathini Mountain; KwaMatabata Mountain; Carmen Mountain; KwaMkhalanga Mountain and Goqweni Mountain. These mountains accommodate activities such as 4x4 routes; hiking trails, horse trails; camping sites; caravan parks; and birding. Other attractions include the Malangeni Game Reserve; and KwaLoshe Forests (Ecotourism). It has high agricultural potential (e.g. sugar cane and traditional foods).read more »

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Unemployment

Employment is a key economic indicator and it is sensitive to the business cycle. For example employment peaked in 2008 to approximately 13,8 million when the economy was better. However, during the recession of 2009 and 2010 approximately 806 000 persons lost their jobs. After these two successive years of decline, employment grew by 204 000 and 258 000 persons in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Community & social services industry contributed the most to the growth in employment observed in the past two years. This was followed by Finance and other business services.read 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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Crime statistics

  Crime prevention and ultimate elimination is one of the priority goals of the National Development Plan (NDP). Crime affects all people irrespective of their background, and it is a topic that attracts a lot of media attention. Analysis will show that some groupings are affected by certain types of crime more than others. Crime statistics are essential in order to understand the temporal and spatial dynamics of crime. Such understanding is vital for planning targeted interventions and assessing progress made towards achieving a crime free nation where "people living in South Africa feel safe at home, at school and at work, and they enjoy a community life free of fear. Women walk freely in the streets and children play safely outside". There are two major sources of crime statistics in South Africa, namely the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). The other smaller sources such as the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are by no means insignificant, as they provide statistics for types of crime not adequately covered by the major players, such as domestic violence. While the methodologies used by the SAPS and Stats SA are very different, the two institutions produce crime statistics that complement each other. The SAPS produces administrative data of crime reported to police stations by victims, the public and crime reported as a result of police activity. Stats SA produces crime statistics estimated from household surveys. Crimes reported to the SAPS do not always have the same definitions as crime statistics produced from VOCS. In addition, not all crimes reported by the SAPS are reported by VOCS and vice versa. Working in close collaboration with Stats SA, the South African Police Service has undertaken to align its Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (CCSP) to the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS). Highlights of the 2017/18 Victims of Crime report Aggregate crime levels increased in 2017/18 compared to 2016/17. It is estimated that over 1,5 million incidences of household crime occurred in South Africa in 2017/18, which constitutes an increase of 5% compared to the previous year. Incidences of crime on individuals are estimated to be over 1,6 million, which is an increase of 5% from the previous year. Aggregate household crime levels increased in Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. Individual crime levels increased in Free State, North West and Gauteng. North West experienced a drastic increase of 80% in the individual crime level. Perceptions of South Africans on crime in 2017/18 were more skeptical compared to the previous year. About 42% thought property crime increased during the past three years. This is an increase of 6,9% from the previous year. 46% thought violent crime increased during the past three years, an increase of 4,5% over the previous year. Western Cape was the most skeptical about crime trends, as 84% of Western Cape residents thought that crime in South African increased or stayed the same. Mpumalanga was the least skeptical among the nine provinces, where 65% thought that crime increased or stayed the same during the past three years. Crimes that are feared most are those that are most common. An estimated 79% of South Africans felt safe walking alone in their neighbourhoods during the day, which is a decrease of 6,7% from last year. About 32% of South Africans felt safe walking alone in their neighbourhoods at night, constituting an increase of 8% from last year. The highlights for household and individual experiences of crime from the 2016/17 VOCS report are as follows:  read more »

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