The Numbers speak for Themselves

The government has bought nearly four million hectares of farmland and spent at least R58-billion to compensate or restore ownership to black communities dispossessed of their ancestral property during colonisation. Yet, nearly three decades after the formal land claims process began in 1996, many of these projects are floundering or have collapsed, raising questions about the extent to which the billions of rands of state expenditure has benefited the claimant communities. For full article https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-09-01-we-dont-have-jobs-post-1996-farmland-restitution-projects-sow-a-costly-legacy-of-failure/?

SA Ranks 28th in beer consumption per capita, but 6th per beer drinker.

Childline Gauteng is grateful to our volunteers, staff and partners, who have reached the ten million (plus) milestone of services rendered since 1999:

• calls dialled to our 24/7 Toll Free Help Line, counselling and child protection – 8 029 214;
• counselling sessions with children and families – 181 380;
• awareness and prevention project – children and adults – 1 671 481;
• Sunlight Safe House – foster and overnight emergency placements – 9 598;
• Soul City Institute partnership in Tshwane – 29 108 (Soul Buddyz Clubs, Rise Young Women SRH groups, parenting workshops and child protection camps);
• NACOSA and Global Fund partnership in Tshwane – 118 899 (HIV / teen pregnancy / GBV risk assessment, counselling, awareness, psycho-educational groups);
• Telkom Foundation partnership in Tshwane schools – 121 597 (counselling and awareness raising).
• As we remember the past 25 years of service delivery, since the turn of the century, we reflect on the concept of the Global Village of the late nineties, ushered in by our own Nelson Mandela and other world leaders of the time.

http://www.childlinegauteng.co.za/

Source: Visual Capitalism

OLYMPICS – INTERESTING COMPARISONS: 89 0f 205 participating countries won medals

What has changed in the world over the last 70 years – to name a few!

Source: James Peron Free Market foundation “Over my lifetime I’ve seen vast improvements in the world. Yet, I see fear merchants trying to promote bad news, even if they have to invent it.” https://www.biznews.com/rational-perspective/2024/07/05/james-peron-70-years-progress

SOUTH AFRICA’S BEST UNIVERSITIES RANKED

There are 25000 registered Universities globally. SA has 26 Universities

Below the US News & World Report’s Best Global Universities rankings in 100 selected countries have revealed which of South Africa’s universities are the very best of the best.

The list breaks down the Best Global Universities rankings by region, country and subject, aimed at helping applicants choose the best institution.

The rankings are based solely on institutions’ overall academic research and reputations. Which means undergraduate or postgraduate programmes are excluded from the comparison.

TOP 15

Global Wealth Growth Rate Almost Halved to Only 4.5% in the Past Decade

Global economic uncertainty, inflation, rising interest rates, trade issues, stock market fluctuation, demographic shifts, and technological changes have all had a major impact on global wealth growth, significantly slowing it down in the past decade compared to the one before.

According to data presented by Stocklytics.com, the global wealth growth rate has practically halved in the past decade, falling to only 4.5%.

Only the United States and Hong Kong Beat the Negative Trend with a 2% and 1% Higher Wealth Growth

According to the UBS 2024 Global Wealth Report, global wealth growth has significantly cooled compared to the previous decade. Between 2000 and 2010, the average annual growth was 7%. However, this figure has plunged to only 4% from 2010 onwards. Although wealth growth is far from uniform, most surveyed countries saw a similar decline.

Roofs & Roots

According to MAPS, available through Eighty20’s Data Portal, 62% of South African households reside in a house (vs a flat, RDP house, etc.). Of these, 86% own the residence, with Limpopo and the Northern Cape having the highest home ownership rates at 93% and 90% respectively.

A Dark Winter?

In South Africa, winter electricity demand is expected to be 6,000 MW higher than in summer. However, the demand in 2024 is about 6% lower than in 2023 due to the rise of solar and other alternative energy installations.

Source: one

CIVIL SOCIETY ENERGY

In SA we have 150 000 registered NGO’s, the great majority of which do sterling work where government services are lacking.

• Corporates contribute +/- R12 billion annually to CSI initiatives
• Citizens contribute +/- R16 billion annually to charitable causes
• Corporate assisted volunteering is widely practiced with literally millions of volunteers being allowed to make a difference during the work week to causes close to their heart
• SA ranked in the Top 20 ‘Giving’ societies globally

Captain

Siya Kolisi, the captain who led South Africa’s Springbok rugby team to two World Cup victories (2019 and 2023), is currently one of the most recognisable sports figures in the world, having been featured in Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of 2024”.

Source: one

IS SOUTH AFRICA THE MOST UNEQUAL COUNTRY IN THE WORLD? – THE GINI Co-efficient says ‘YES’, I say ‘NO’

The GINI co-efficient (1 being most unequal, 0 being all equal, calculation reflected as a decimal between 1 and 0) measures the difference of income distribution, and income is invariably measured by a payslip and PAYE returns, not by cash received (8 million cash ‘earners’ in the informal sector). The GINI co-efficient does not measure the contribution that the ‘social wage’ makes to a family’s income. In South Africa 28 million (twenty-eight!) people receive social grants of one sort or another (7 million taxpayers). Assuming a family of five, two children two parents/guardians and a Go-go, the likely value of  the ‘social wage’ is as follows, per month:

• Child grant at R520 x2= R1040
• Go-go foster care x 1 = R1180
• Old age pension x 1= R2080
• Free schooling x 2 = R1200*
• Free food at school x 2 = R1000*
• Subsidised school transport x 2 = R400
• Subsidised water = R300*
• Subsidised electricity = R300*
• Subsidised housing = R1200*

TOTAL = R8700 (not included in GINI co-efficient calculations)

*My conservative estimates of ‘value’.

Factor those numbers in and the picture changes dramatically. To suggest, as the GINI co-efficient does, that India’s co-efficient @ .32 is ½ SA’s @ .63 is not probable!

SA VOTING POPULATION: 1/3 decides for the rest.

48 000 000 adult citizens over the age of 18
27 672 264 registered to vote or 57% of the adult population
16 227 015 actually voted = 58.64% of the registered voters, but 33.8% of the total adult population

South Africa has been named the world’s friendliest nation, by a new global data study https://www.remitly.com/gb/en

US ranked 15th, UK 18th

Voting Beyond Borders

This past weekend, votes were cast by approximately 78,000 South Africans living overseas. In contrast, only 19,882 South Africans abroad voted in the 2019 general elections.

Sources: one, two

Employment/Unemployment 1st Quarter 2024

The first quarter saw notable employment gains across various sectors:

• The agricultural sector added 21 046 jobs.
• Mining and quarrying saw an increase of 8 630 jobs.
• The manufacturing sector witnessed a substantial gain of 98 853 jobs.
• Wholesale and retail trade, motor trade, hotels, and restaurants collectively created 108 881 jobs.
• Jobs in the transport, storage, and communication sector increased by 38 979.
• The private household sector saw a gain of 44 138 jobs.

However, several sectors experienced declines in employment:

• The financial intermediation, insurance, real estate, and business services sector shed 49 803 jobs.
• The community and social services sector saw a significant decline of 121 959 jobs.
• The electricity, gas, and water supply sector recorded a loss of 17 233 jobs.
• The construction sector experienced a notable decrease of 106 394 jobs.

NOTE: these “Official” figures are based on PAYE and UIF returns, they take no account of the +/- 8 million jobs in the Informal Sector which has an annual turnover of +/- R 1 trillion, roughly 25% of GDP. The “Official” unemployment figure of +/- 32% does not reflect actual unemployment.

Shark Tales

In 1991 South Africa became the first country to protect the iconic great white shark, pioneering global conservation efforts. Overfishing in the 1970s and 1980s in the Atlantic had brought the great white shark population to around 27% of what it was in the early 1960s.

Sources: one, two

Electric cars

There are now about 26-million electric cars on the world’s roads, which means the global auto industry has made a $1-trillion commitment to carbon neutrality. This is a tiny proportion of the total cars in use, but it is a five-fold increase since 2018.

Emigration Stats

Since 2000, the number of South Africans in the UK has grown from 136,720 to 247,336; Australia from 80,650 to 199,690; and the US from 65,171 to 117,321. New Zealand has almost tripled its SA emigrants, from 25,359 to 73,846 and Canada from 36,949 to 48,093.

In 2011, 45,866 citizens returned (46.2% were male and 53.8% female), but by 2022, the returns had dropped to 27,983 (with an equal split between male and female).

In 2022, whites accounted for 52.9% of returnees, black Africans for 37.1%, coloureds 4.9%, Indians/Asians 4.6%, and “other” for 1.9%.

Source: https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/03-09-17/03-09-172023.pdf

Rights Leaderboard

In 2023, South Africa was ranked 48th best globally, out of 142 countries, for the adherence to fundamental rights by the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index. The Scandinavian countries—Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden—occupied the top four spots.

Source: one

Baby Dip

In 2024, South Africa’s birth rate stands at 18.8 births per 1,000 people, which is approximately half of the rate recorded in 1974, which was 37.5 births per 1,000 people.

Read our Changing South African Households blog here

Diapers, Dummies, and Dollars!

According to MiWayLife, first-time parents in South Africa spend an average of R100,000 per year to raise a child.

Source: one

Size Matters

The 2022 Census reveals a consistent decline in family sizes, dropping from 4.5 individuals per household in 1996 to approximately 3.5 in 2022. Gauteng households have the smallest average size at around 2.8, while KwaZulu-Natal’s are the highest at 4.4.

Driven by India

In 2023, 42% of passenger cars sold in South Africa were imported from India, highlighting India’s significant influence in the market. India’s presence in the South African motor industry is notably robust, particularly dominating the lower end, with 75% of car models priced under R300,000 originating from India.

Source: one

Dear Mama

While 32.7% of children in South Africa live with both parents, 21.3% don’t reside with either. What’s particularly striking is that 42% of all children are raised solely by their mothers, leaving only 4% in the care of fathers alone.

Source: one

I Do… I Mean, I Will

There is a shifting landscape in marriage demographics in South Africa, with an increasing number of brides and grooms opting to tie the knot later in life. Between 2015 and 2021, the median age for bridegrooms has ascended from 36 to 37, while brides have seen a corresponding increase from 31 to 33.

Sources: one, two

Water Crisis: Dam Deficit

According to the 2022 Census, almost half of households have faced water interruptions for two or more consecutive days. These challenges underscore the urgent need for improved water infrastructure, as highlighted at SONA. However, promises of new dams have largely gone unmet, with only one large dam built in the last 25 years, compared to 18 between 1964 and 1994.

Sources: one, two

SA has 3 stadiums in the World Top 10

Homework Hurdles

Of the more than a million children who start school every year, in 2023 only 58 out of 100 made it to matric, with 48 passing. Only 19 out of 100 will proceed to any sort of tertiary education.

Read our Back to School blog here

EMIGRATION FIGURES CHANGING

Rory O’Hagan, principal of the Chas Everitt Hyde Park and Sandton office, has highlighted South African expats are returning, especially to the nation’s economic hub.

“A very large percentage are actually buying homes in Gauteng, and in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg in particular,” said O’Hagan.

“We receive enquiries daily from South Africans of all ages who have been living and working abroad, sometimes for many years, but are now returning to Johannesburg to take up new corporate jobs or to establish new businesses.”

“Most are highly skilled individuals with years of experience, which is a benefit to SA,” O’Hagan said.

Some of the reasons for coming back include:

• Being tired of unpleasant weather and worried about natural disasters,
• Missing family and friends,
• Fears about the fallout from the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts
• The high and rising cost of living in Europe, the UK and the US, and
• The realisation that they can purchase a much better property in SA with euros, pounds or dollars than in the adopted countries.

Source: https://businesstech.co.za/news/property/743361/emigration-is-shifting-in-south-africa/