Elundini

Elundini Local Municipality is located in Joe Gqabi District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, between the Maluti and the Drakensberg mountains. Mount Fletcher, Ugie and Maclear are the three dominant towns within this largely agricultural area. Source: (www.elundini.org.za)

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Nelson Mandela Bay

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is located on the south- eastern coast of Africa in the Eastern Cape.  It is one of eight category A municipalities in South Africa.  In 2001, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality was formed as an administrative area covering Port Elizabeth, the neighbouring towns of Uitenhage and Despatch, and the surrounding agricultural areas.  Nelson Mandela Bay is a major seaport and automotive manufacturing centre.

The Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) is situated within the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality.  The initiative is a multibillion-dollar industrial development complex customized for heavy, medium and light industries.  It is adjacent to a deepwater port, the Port of Ngqura, and covers 110 km² of land.  The city’s unique advantage of possessing two ports, namely Port Elizabeth Harbour and Ngqura, creates an opportunity for the city to establish a strong and vibrant maritime sector.

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Dihlabeng

The Dihlabeng Local Municipality is situated within the boundaries of the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality in the eastern Free State.The geographical area consists of the towns Bethlehem, Clarens, Fouriesburg, Paul Roux and Rosendal. The principal economic activities within the municipality are dominated by farming (29,4%) and private businesses (17,2%). At approximately 15% and 11% respectively, social services and trade operations are also relatively high economic activities. It has arguably some of the best tourism centres and facilities in the eastern Free State.

Cities/Towns: Bethlehem, Clarens, Fouriesburg, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Paul Roux, Rosendal

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Nketoana

The Nketoana Municipality is situated within the Thabo Mafutsanyana District Municpality in the Eastern Free State. It comprises of Reitz, Petsana, PetrusSteyn, Mamafubedu, Lindley, Ntha, Arlington and Leretswana.

The municipality is 54km from Bethlehem, 240km from Johannesburg and 60 km from the N3 road. The main economic activities in the area are agriculture and retail businesses.

Nketoana Local Municipality is named after the Leibenbergsvlei River, which is Nketoana in Sesotho. The highest population density is found in the Reitz/Petsana area. The municipality accommodates approximately 60 324 people and covers an area of 5 611km2. In terms of enumeration area (EA) types, 74% of the population lives in formal residences.

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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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Gender Statistics

South Africa has a history of exclusion and discrimination on all kinds of grounds, such as race and gender. For this reason we have developed one of the most inclusive constitutions in the world, with a Bill of Rights that specifically refers to equal treatment for all regardless of race, age, disability status, socio-economic status and gender (Section 9). Legislation – such as the Employment Equity Act of 1998 – has facilitated access to formal employment for women, where employers are legally required to work towards more equitable representation based on gender, race and disability. Our National Development Plan 2030 envisions an inclusive society and economy, free from unequal opportunities through capacity building, redress and increased interaction. Through a combination of legislation, monitoring and accountability, significant progress has been made in this regard, especially in the public sector. For example, the percentage of women in senior management positions in the public service increased from 13% in 1998 to 42% in 2017. Gender and gender statistics are not just about women. Whereas the term sex refers to a biological male/female classification, the word gender connotes more than that. It encapsulates social and cultural differences, and also includes how an individual views him-/herself. The term “gender role” relates to society’s concept of how men and women are expected to act. Gender stereotypes form the basis of sexism, or the prejudiced beliefs that value males over females or vice versa. Gender inequality refers to the unequal treatment and/or perceptions of inequality of men in relation to women or vice versa. Even though there are instances where discrimination occurs against men, more often than not women are at a disadvantage. This is manifested in, for example, preferential access to work and/or certain jobs for men, unequal pay for equal work, bullying, domination and violence against women, selective abortion of female children, and preferential household expenditure on boys’ education. While great strides have been made towards equality for women, there still remains great challenges; there is a need for continued measurement and policy and programmatic interventions. In addition to monitoring progress with regard to the situation of men and women, an understanding of gender gaps in the following key areas will move the agenda of leaving no one behind forward: Market participation – Equal representation of both sexes in the labour force is important; gender equality allows for an increase in the number of women participating in the work force, which expands the labour force and can contribute towards increased economic productivity and growth. Resource equity – Indicators of men’s and women’s asset ownership and control are important measures used to monitor gender equality. This is achieved when people are able to access and enjoy the same rewards, resources and opportunities regardless of whether they are male or female. Women’s ownership of and control over resources is one of the key elements of empowerment. Governance – Gender equality in positions of decision-making, as well as political representation, are important not only from an empowerment perspective, but also to ensure that issues affecting women are considered during policy formulation, planning and programme/project implementation. Stats SA publishes a wide range of statistics in various reports and publications, highlighting the challenges experienced by women and men in South Africa as measured through household surveys and censuses conducted by Stats SA, as well as other sources.read more »

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