Maluti a Phofung

Maluti-A-Phofung local municipality is situated in the Free State. Maluti-A-Phofung is a local municipality and was established on 5 December 2001, and comprises of four former TLC local authorities, which are Qwaqwa Rural, Phuthaditjhaba, Harrismith and Kestell. The municipality is comprised of 35 wards and covers approximately 4�421 km2 in extent. Phuthaditjhaba is the urban centre of Qwaqwa and serves as the administrative head office of Maluti-A-Phofung municipality. Surrounding Phuthaditjhaba are the rural villages of Qwaqwa, established on tribal land administered by the Department of Land Affairs. Harrismith is a service center for the surrounding rural areas and a trading belt serving the national road, N3, which links the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Harrismith is surrounded by Tshiame located 12 km to the west and Intabazwe, which is located 1,5 km to the north. The town is an economic hub for people living in Tshiame, Intabazwe and Qwaqwa. Kestell is a service center for the surrounding agricultural oriented rural area, with Tlholong as the township. Kestell is situated along the N5 road that links Harrismith with Bethlehem. The rural areas of Maluti-A-Phofung comprise commercial farms and major nature conservation centres such as Qwaqwa National Park, Platberg, Sterkfontein Dam and the Maluti Mountain Range. The area is not only a tourist attraction destination, but also makes a big contribution in generating gross agricultural income for the whole of the province and is also highly regarded for its beef production.read more »

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Mangaung

Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality is a Category A municipality. It is situated in the Free State province, in the central interior of South Africa.� The Free State is bordered by Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and North West provinces, as well as the neighbouring country of Lesotho.

Mangaung, meaning �the place of the cheetah�, accentuates the vibrant, dynamic and energetic character of the tourism industry in the �City on the move (at the heart of it all)�.� The economy is strongly driven by the government sector, which has seen the fastest growth in the last five years as a result of increased government programmes in livelihoods improvement interventions.� The finance sector is the second-fastest growing sector due to very active estate and construction activities. Small businesses have a major role to play in the Mangaung economy, in terms of employment creation, income generation and output growth.

Cities/Towns: Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, Mangaung, Thaba Nchu Main Economic Sectors: Government services, finance

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Emfuleni

The Emfuleni Local Municipality is one of the three local municipalities comprising the Sedibeng district in Gauteng, South Africa. It is the western-most local municipality in the district, and covers an area of 987,45 km�. It consists of two main town centres, Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark (www.emfuleni.gov.za).

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Midvaal

Midvaal Local Municipality is an administrative area in the Sedibeng district of Gauteng. The name was given due to its geographical location. Midvaal lies between Johannesburg and the East Rand and the Vaal River and Vereeniging.

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Lesedi

Lesedi Local Municipality is an administrative area in the Sedibeng district of Gauteng. Heidelberg is the seat of the municipality. During the war of independence, Heidelberg served as the capital of the South African Republic from 1880 to 1883. (www.lesedi.gov.za)

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Economic Growth

The diverse structure of the South African economy is a critical aspect of its historical and current growth performance. �The manufacturing sector continues to occupy a significant share of the South Africa economy, despite its relative importance declining from 19 percent in 1993 to about 17 percent in 2012 in real terms.

In line with structural changes in many economies, it not surprising to observe that the finance, real estate and business services sector has increase its relative importance of 17 per cent in 1993 to approximately 24 per cent in 2012. These two sectors and a few more are an important part of the South African growth story since the dawn of democracy.

Despite that, less than a decade into the 21st century, many countries, including South Africa, experienced the global economic crisis.This has affected economic growth in South Africa over the last four years, prompting a deceleration in rate of economic growth.

South Africa experienced an average growth rate of approximately 5 per cent in real terms between 2004 and 2007. However, the period 2008 to 2012 only recorded average growth just above 2 per cent; largely a result of the global economic recession.

Of the nine provinces in South Africa, three power houses stand out. Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and Western Cape collectively contribute a significant portion to the country�s value added, reported at over 60 percent.

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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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Transport

Travel survey � Online Updates 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, 2013 and 2020. 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 »

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