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The history of human settlements in South
Africa has been shaped largely by segregationist Apartheid
policies. Former 'white' areas tend to be well serviced, have
good infrastructure and formal housing, while former 'black' or
'coloured' areas are generally poorly serviced, and lack
infrastructure and formal housing. Much progress has been made
in increasing services and infrastructure to these areas, but much
still remains to be done.
Human settlements are also places of natural
and cultural heritage, and this should be properly protected for the
benefit of present and future generations.
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| Infrastructure and Services |
Research
has shown a direct link between the provision
of infrastructure, income growth and human development.
Infrastructure has multiple links to poverty reduction
i.e. it can support income generation within a household, increase
productivity, decrease time needed for collection and transport
of resources, and other products. Infrastructure and service
delivery can also improve access
to health and education.
The greatest backlog in infrastructure and
service delivery is in the rural areas. South Africa has to
make significant and accelerated progress in service and
infrastructure delivery to meet national and international targets
such as the Millennium Development Goals. In the Northern Cape this
is monitored through:
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| Demographics |
Research has shown that the main cause of
impoverishment (or movement into/out of poverty) is 'demographic' -
through the loss of employment by the head of the household, usually
resulting in a loss or decline in
wages and remittance.
Rural poverty in South Africa differs from
other developing countries in that income generated and food
consumed from agriculture is a small component of household
resources. Migration is circulatory, meaning households having both
a rural and urban base, and rural societies are affected by the social
and health problems of the urban areas. The demographic
profiles of these areas are therefore also different to other
developing countries. The
indicator selceted is:
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| Health |
Human health is an important aspect of human
settlements, for example, the spread of contagious or infectious
diseases is affected by human settlement characteristics.
Tuberculosis, asbestosis and HIV/AIDS are
three such diseases which have been raised as a concern in the
Northern Cape. Health issues are not addressed through any
indicators in this specific section. However, health issues
are considered in both the Atmosphere and
Climate (related to asbestos rehabilitation) and the Driving
forces
section of
this web-based report.
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| Heritage |
The Northern Cape has both cultural and
natural heritage, and the conservation of this heritage is of utmost
importance. The Province's landscape features several valuable
proposed World Heritage Sites such as the Kimberley Mine and
Associated Early Industries, the /Xam Khomani Heartland, the
Richtersveld and
the Wonderwerk Cave.
In the Northern Cape, the presence of several
economic activities threatens the conservation and preservation of
several heritage resources that can never be regained once
lost. It is important that sufficient capacity and resources
be given to preserving natural and cultural heritage in the
Province. The indicators below provide some indication of the
ability to conserve heritage
in the Province:
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| Unemployment |
Unemployment
refers to the percentage of the economically
active population that is currently unemployed, but who may
want to work and are actively taking steps to find or start some
form of work.
In the Northern Cape just over 14% of the
population is unemployed, while almost 45% is economically
inactive. This leaves the burden of income generation on only
40% of the population (of working age 15 to 65). Issues such
as job retention and job creation are therefore of vital importance
in a Province where the number of working people
is so low.
The issue of unemployment is highlighted in
the Driving Forces
section of
this web-based report.
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