Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Saturday, July 19
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • CUE
      • Cue Archives
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Shock stats on Eastern Cape
    Uncategorized

    Shock stats on Eastern Cape

    Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailAugust 9, 2011No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    “Eastern Cape, the poorest province”, announced a newspaper headline last week. This public statement came from a comprehensive report issued last week by the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development.

    The report contained shocking information including:

    “Eastern Cape, the poorest province”, announced a newspaper headline last week. This public statement came from a comprehensive report issued last week by the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development.

    The report contained shocking information including:

    • Seven out of 10 children are being raised without the presence of their father.
    • A third of women who consume alcohol may be at risk of alcoholism and alcohol-related diseases.
    • Men are being forced to leave home in order to look for work in other cities

    The study concludes, “extraordinary measures by the government and all development partners are required in order to break the shackles of structural poverty and their consequences among the population of the province.”

    The dire economic situation of the Eastern Cape did more than just paint a picture of poverty. It illustrated who the Eastern Cape residents are, how they live, where they work, and what they are dying of.

    Life expectancy
    The life expectancy at birth increased by five years since 2001. An average child born today will live to see:

    • The world’s population climb past 9 billion (2050).
    • Whether the events in the movie Minority Report will come true (2054).
    • The end of the world, according to Isaac Newton (2060).
    • The return of Haley’s Comet (2061).

    However, they will not live to see:

    • The 100th anniversary of the moon-landing (2069).
    • The holes in the ozone layer completely recover (2070).
    • Technology that allows us to record people’s dreams to video (Speculated for some time in the 2070s).
    • Michael Jackson’s music enter the public domain (2079).

    Migration
    In 2007, 76% of children under the age of 10 did not live with their biological father. One of the reasons is the migration of working-age men to other provinces. Current economic hardships and low levels of employment in the Eastern Cape are forcing large numbers of residents to move away from home.

    The study notes migration patterns among men and women between the ages of 20 and 39.
    The households these people leave behind are often left to be headed by women and the elderly, and tend to be larger than those unaffected by emigration.

    Of the people who had left the Eastern Cape, 88% travelled to either the Western Cape, Gauteng, or KwaZulu-Natal provinces. This signals an increasing movement from rural areas to urban centres such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban.

    Booze data
    The most recent data shows that from 1998 to 2003, the number of males who drank was four times greater than the number of female drinkers.

    However, while risky drinking behaviour among males declined from 27% to 22%, the number of female drinkers engaging in risky behaviour climbed from 29% to 33%. Therefore, it appears that those women who drink alcohol are at a higher risk of abusing it.

    Ageing population
    From 1996 to 2007, the number of people over the age of 65 increased by a third, and the percentage of the overall population past the age of retirement grew from 5.8% to 7%.

    The Eastern Cape’s unique demographics make the increased number of elderly people as much a cause for concern as celebration.

    Almost half of the province’s households are headed by someone over the age of 50, due to men looking for work in other provinces.

    The authors of the report are concerned that once these people reach retirement age, it will place a heavy strain on the social services programme that already directs more than a quarter of social grants to pensioners.

    Previous ArticleScholars: clue up on supplements
    Next Article Ex city boss lays down the law
    Grocott's Mail

      Comments are closed.

      Code of Ethics and Conduct
      GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
      RMR
      Listen to RMR


      Humans of Makhanda

      Humans of Makhanda

      Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

      © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.