PROVINCIAL HIGHS AND LOWS

Ranking the provinces from best to worst in the various categories appearing in the profiles on pages 2–11 reveals that some less wealthy provincial governments are outperforming the richer ones in certain areas of service.

EASTERN CAPE has the lowest gross geographic product (GGP) per head of all provinces. It has the worst matric and university entrance pass rates and shares the lowest literacy rate with Limpopo. It has the highest proportions of households without access to clean water or electricity, and had only one high score—‘number of households living in traditional dwellings’.

FREE STATE has the highest rate of immunisation of children under one year and the lowest projected population growth rate.

GAUTENG enjoys by far the highest household income and GGP, the highest rates of robbery and motor vehicle theft, and the largest proportion of households living in informal dwellings. It leads the others in use of electricity for heating, refuse removal by council, literacy rate, and people with a matric certificate.

KWAZULU-NATAL has the largest proportion of the population but comes out worst in a number of health-related categories: under-five mortality, HIV+ infection, pregnant women who are HIV+, TB, and coincidence of TB and HIV. Despite having the highest ratio of manufacturing to GGP, it has the worst unemployment rate on the strict definition.

LIMPOPO has the lowest annual household income, lowest economically active population and highest unemployment rate (expanded) as well as the highest proportion with no education and joint lowest literacy. It has the smallest proportion of its population living in informal dwellings.Crime rates are lowest in all categories except stock theft.

MPUMALANGA has the worst ratio of nurses to population. The only ‘highest’ is the projected population growth rate.

NORTH WEST has the best pupil to teacher ratio, but the lowest proportion of people with a diploma or certificate. It has the highest proportion of households living in formal dwellings but the worst doctor to resident ratio.

NORTHERN CAPE, the biggest province, has the smallest population. It spends the most per capita on schools, has the lowest number of maternal deaths in childbirth and the best ratio of doctors and nurses to residents, but the worst rate of immunisation of children under one year. It has the worst rape rate and the highest incidence of stock theft.

WESTERN CAPE is the best province to live in by a number of measures: unemployment both strict and expanded; and most of the education, health, and living conditions categories. The other side of the coin is that Western Cape residents suffer the highest rate of murder.

—Jane Tempest