E Cape, Limpopo & KZN SA's poorest
2012-02-01 07:43
Johannesburg - Municipalities in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal are the country's poorest, according to the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR).
"Municipalities in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal perform the worst in terms of poverty, with average poverty rates of 64%, 62%, and 61% respectively," the SAIRR said in its Fast Facts newsletter on Tuesday.
Western Cape municipalities fared better, with an average poverty rate of 32%, it said.
The poverty rate refers to the proportion of households in the municipality with a monthly income below R800 in 2007.
The figures were from the institute's annual report on the eight metropolitan and 44 district municipalities in South Africa.
Unemployment
Rates of unemployment were highest in KwaZulu-Natal, with an average jobless rates of 41%, followed by the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, each with an average jobless rates of 40%.
"Again, municipalities in the Western Cape do best in this area, with an average unemployment rate of 21%," the SAIRR said.
The Alfred Nzo district municipality in the Eastern Cape had the highest poverty rate, at 83%.
"However, contrary to what one might expect, only 34% of the 831 043 people living in Alfred Nzo are on social welfare."
Of the metropolitan municipalities, Ekurhuleni had the lowest poverty rate at 27%, followed by Tshwane at 28%. Both are in Gauteng.
Buffalo City, in the Eastern Cape, which was declared a metro after the municipal elections in May 2011, had a high poverty rate of 70%.
Johannesburg had a high poverty rate of 45%.
"This may be because many people leave their homes in poorer municipalities to seek work there, but lots of people in the city remain jobless and thus live in poverty," the SAIRR said.
- SAPA
