|
The Durban Metropolitan Area (DMA) is experiencing rapid
population growth rate due to increasing urbanisation,
natural growth and in migration. This coupled with large
scale unemployment, poverty and poor service provision is
causing the population of the DMA to
impact negatively on the natural environment.
Population Growth
Rates
Recent surveys have indicated a decline
in the rates of increase in population growth, attributable
largely to the general decrease in family size as well as the
impact of AIDS. Current (1996) growth rate is estimated to
be approximately 2%, but this varies across racial groups,
with the growth rate for the white population being 0.01% and
the black population 3.78%.
The projected urbanisation levels for 2010 and 2020 are 59%
and 62% respectively which implies that in 20 years time
almost two-thirds of the total provincial population will be
living in urban areas of
which the DMA is the largest.
Life
Expectancy
Life expectancy rates
(at birth) for the DMA ranged from 64 years to 73 years in 1994.
This was higher than both provincial and national averages.
The extremely high incidence of HIV in Durban's population is
likely to significantly reduce these figures. Statistics
released by Durban's King Edward Hospital revealed that in
1990 only 1.6% of women attending the antenatal clinic were
diagnosed as HIV positive. By 1998 this figure had
escalated to 31.07%.
Socio-economic characteristics
The 1991 Census suggested that less
than 60% of the economically active population are
formally employed in the DMA. Of these, nearly three-quarters
earn less than R15 000 annually. Just over 80% of the working
age population is functionally literate and less than
two-thirds of Durban's population live in formal housing.
Overall, residents of the North, North Central and South
Local Council areas appear to enjoy a higher than average
level of well-being when their employment, income, housing
conditions and education levels are compared to the DMA as a
whole. Social well-being in the South Central and Inner West
is largely on a par with the DMA as a whole while the Outer
West by contrast fares worst of all.
Aids is likely to have serious negative impacts on the
socio-economic environment as it is the economically active
population that is worst affected by Aids.
Durban's Socio-Economic Characteristics
(1991)
Source : Central Statistical
Services
|
Local Council Areas |
% formally
employed |
% earning < R15 000 per
year |
% earning > R15 000 per
year |
% with functional
literacy |
% formally
housed |
% share of DMA income |
Sample Human Development Indices
(1994) |
|
North |
62.5 |
67.5 |
32.5 |
82.0 |
90.0 |
7.4 |
Tongaat 0.501
Verulam 0.504 |
|
North Central |
60.2 |
74.8 |
25.2 |
83.0 |
64.4 |
36.5 |
Inanda 0.179
KwaMashu 0.268 |
|
South Central |
58.3 |
72.5 |
27.5 |
84.0 |
68.0 |
30.6 |
Chesterville 0.302
Lamontville 0.206
Umlazi
0.259 |
|
South |
63.4 |
53.5 |
46.5 |
90.3 |
79.9 |
6.2 |
Amanzimtoti 0.883
KwaMakhuta 0.292
Isipingo
0.505 |
|
Inner West |
58.7 |
74.1 |
25.9 |
82.4 |
61.1 |
8.7 |
Kwadabeka 0.283
Marianhill 0.293
Pinetown
0.739
Westville 0.812 |
|
Outer |
52.1 |
82.6 |
17.4 |
73.1 |
29.2 |
10.5 |
Mpumalanga 0.193 |
|
DMA |
58.6 |
73.6 |
26.4 |
82.2 |
63.3 |
100.0 |
KZN average 0.58 |
Level of service
provision
There is a
wide disparity in Human Development Indices (HDIs) between the
wealthy and poor populations, representing first and third
world conditions respectively. The HDI's show that
significant and substantial variations occur between
residential areas in each Local Council area. For example, the
HDI's of the lower income residential areas of Inanda,
KwaMashu, Chesterville, Lamontville, Umlazi, KwaMakhuta,
Magabeni, KwaDabeka, Mariannhill and Mpumalanga do not exceed
the value of 0,3. By comparison, the upper income residential
areas of Amanzimtoti, Umhlanga, Pinetown, Westville and Kloof
all exceed 0,7. The provision of services to rectify these
inequalities is considered a priority for the Durban
Metropolitan Area. Click here
to view a pdf map
of
the HDI in the Metropolitan area.
|
