The City of Tshwane is the capital of South Africa and is the largest municipality, as measured by land mass. Tshwane is amongst the six largestmetropolitan municipalities in South Africa and the second largest in Gauteng, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Tshwane regioncovers 6 368km² of Gauteng’s 19 055km² and houses approximately 2,9million residents.Tshwane consists of seven regions with 105 wards and 210 councillors.

The City has a vibrant and diverse economy, which enables it to contribute at least 26,8% of the Gauteng Province’s GDP and 9,4% of the GDP of the national economy.  Tshwane is the administrative capital of South Africa and is home to the Union Buildings with government-related business playing an important role in the local economy.  As a result, the city is taking active measures to firmly position itself as Africa's leading capital city of excellence.  The municipality's main economic sectors are community services and government, followed by finance and manufacturing.  Metal products, machinery and household products are the largest sub-sectors within manufacturing.  The City has a well-established manufacturing sector, with the automotive industry representing the most significant component.

Nkandla is situated in a remote area of breathtaking mountainous beauty, which consists mainly of tribal lands and state-owned land. The area has a wealth of undisturbed forests, which boast many indigenous species. Nkandla has a claim to be the ‘cradle’ of Zulu history. From Malandela to Shaka, to Dingane and Cetshwayo, Nkandla has been at the centre stage of the Zulu nation’s history. The graves of King Malandela and Cetshwayo are at Nkandla. Nkandla Town is the only urban area in Nkandla Municipality which offers the full array of urban development, albeit at a smaller scale compared to the majority of towns in KwaZulu-Natal. This includes low-density residential, active and passive open space, schools, commercial areas, service-industries, churches, offices, government buildings an services, financial services, etc.read more »

The City of Cape Town as a municipal entity of today is just over ten years old. However, the Mother City has the oldest municipal structure in the country, going back to its first Council meeting held on 8 April 1652 – on a sailing ship anchored in Table Bay.

The Mother City is South Africa’s oldest city, with an area of 2 461 km2. It is the legislative capital of South Africa, the administrative and economic centre of the Western Cape Province.

Ezinqoleni Local Municipality (KZ 215) is one of the six local municipalities that form part of the Ugu District (DC 21). This municipality is located on the south-western boundary of the Ugu District, adjacent to the west of the Hibiscus Coast Municipality and east of the uMuziwabantu Municipality.

The Ezinqoleni Local Municipal offices are situated within the Ezinqoleni settlement that is located some 40 kilometres west from Port Shepstone along the N2 national highway. The Ezinqoleni municipal area is 649 km2 (64 900 hectares) in extent with the major land uses in the area being tribal settlements, smallholdings and commercial farming. The Ezinqoleni Local Municipality is the smallest municipality in the district, and accounts for approximately 14% of the Ugu District area.

Approximately 35% of the municipality's total area can be classified as residential or smallholding areas, while the remaining 65% of the land is dedicated to agriculture/conservation and other non-residential land uses.

The Ezinqoleni Local Municipality constitutes a Category B municipality as determined by the Demarcations Board, falling within the ambit of a collective executive system municipality as described in the KwaZulu-Natal Determination of Types of Municipality Act, 2000.

The Ezinqoleni Local Municipality consists of 5 wards with 9 councillors (i.e. 5 Ward Councillors and 4 proportional representative Councillors).

(Source: www.ezinqoleni.gov.za)

Mafikeng Local Municipality is located in Mafikeng, the capital city of the North West province. The municipality is a considerably big local municipality compared to the other four local municipalities located within the area of jurisdiction of the NgakaModiri-Molema District Municipality. (http://www.mafikeng.gov.za).read more »

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.

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.

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 »