Stats SA has published the data collected from households in South Africa during July, August and September 2010.

Education

32,2% of children aged 0-4 attended ECD institutions, with children in Gauteng and the Western Cape more likely to attend than in the other provinces. Children in Mpumalanga, the Western Cape and the North West were most likely to receive stimulation, either at home or through a centre, and children in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo were most likely not to receive stimulation.

72, 8% of children and youths aged 7-24 attended educational institutions in 2010. This represents a drop since 2007. The main reason for not attending is a lack of money for fees. Despite this, the no-fee policy is having a positive impact; in 2002, 0,7% of learners said that paid no fees, compared to 54,6% in 2010.

Health

Public clinics are the most frequently used health facilities; however, people using these facilities show a higher level of dissatisfaction with the service compared to private health care users.

Housing

The North West has shown the least progress in addressing access to formal housing with 18,8% of households living shacks; this figure is higher than in 2009. In Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, there has been no progress made since 2009; in 2010 the same number of households live in informal housing.

18, 9% of households live in RDP houses. Female-headed households are more likely (11, 1%) than their male counterparts (8,8%) to receive a government housing subsidy. Concerns were raised about the quality of RDP houses.

Source of energy

82% of households are connected to the mains electricity supply, compared to 76,8% in 2002.

Water access and use

Nationally, an average of 89,3% of households have access to piped water. However, as in previous years, there is a much lower access rate in provinces like the Eastern Cape, with only 73,9% having access to piped water.

Of cause for concern was the high levels of dissatisfaction with the quality and safety of the drinking water provided. In the Eastern Cape, 28,5% of households were concerned about the safety of their piped drinking water.

Sanitation

In 2010 there were still a significant number of households with no toilets or bucket toilets (5,9%). This amounts to more than 2,5 million people.

Food

23,9% of households in South Africa (almost one quarter) had inadequate or severely inadequate access to food. This was most serious in the North West province (35,7%), the Northern Cape (30,7%), KZN (27,6%) and the Free State (25,3%).

Disability

The disability data provided has been withdrawn by Stats SA and will be reissued shortly.

Commentary

On the ECD front, it is of grave concern to continue to see the poor levels of access to services essential to reversing the high infant and child mortality rates in South Africa – services which are also essential for optimal early childhood development and therefore for ensuring optimal later development. These include sanitation, water and food, and of course stimulation through centres and at home. There is an urgent need for adequate ECD policies to address these deficiencies for the benefit especially of young children in South Africa’s poorest and least developed provinces.

WEB LINKS FOR THIS ARTICLE

Read Stats SA"s Household Survey.