Surprising stats

[Dave A]

9.86 million urban South Africans feel there is no-one to complain to about poor service delivery in their community. 87% of them say that even when they complain, nothing is done to fix the problems. (Future Fact 2008)

I'm surprised it's not unanimous - or maybe the rest work for the civil service and use their inside connections

[Dave A]

There are 10.1 million Vodacom subscribers in South Africa. The next most popular cellular network provider is MTN with 9.2 million. (AMPS 2008B RA)

I really thought the gap between MTN and Vodacom was bigger than that!

[Marq]

Depends who you going believe - Vodacom or amps.

see earlier post

[twinscythe12332]

well, by 2007 estimates, Sa's population is 47.9 million... so if vodacom is correct, more than half the country uses their service...

[Dave A]

62% of adults living in Limpopo say the statement ‘These days there is no point in saving for something, it is better to buy on credit’ is true or very true. For those in the Western Cape, the proportion is 30%. (AMPS 2008B RA)

It would be cool to see what that stat is in each of the provinces, but that difference certainly gives pause for thought.

[Dave A]

Not so much surprising as good news worth sharing:

It is reported that adult smoking prevalence in South Africa has fallen from 32% in 1995 down to 22% in 2006. (www.health24.com, September 2009)

[Dave A]

54% of rural households in South Africa have a monthly household income of R1,400 or more, while 54% of urban households have a monthly household income of R5,000 or more. (AMPS 2009 RA)

[Frankincense]

....when the highways are layed desolate....and the humans began to eat the humans....then shall they know "generic economic principles".....

[Dave A]

Electricity is currently being provided to 80% of South African households, up from 50% in 1995. (EU Municipal Outreach, Newsletter 17, April 2009

That's quite an improvement. How many power stations did we add in that time?

[Alan]

Ooookay, how many of those new connections are actually paying for the service?

[Dave A]

Over the period 1997-2008, house prices in South Africa increased by 389%. In Australia, the figure is 163%. (www.economist.com) (2009-04-09)

So was our property price boom a bubble?

[mark@suitegum.co.za]

So was our property price boom a bubble?

No. It was the upside of BEE and similar policies. The previously disenfranchised are gaining an economic foothold and creating a demand in a limited supply market.

A bubble bursting would lead to losses in the region of 50% of value. not the single digit contraction (at worst) we have seen here in the last 18 months.

"In 2003 the average price of a home in Detroit was almost $98,000; this October it was $15,000" - The Economist December 19th 2009, page 77.

Pop.

[Dave A]

I don't disagree entirely. By international pricing standards we started out underpriced and price-wise we've seen something closer to a correction than a burst bubble.

But on the flip side volumes are exceptionally thin. Is our property really priced to the market at the moment, or are prices being propped up by the underlying debt?

[mark@suitegum.co.za]

Well a burst bubble would manifest itself in massive volume to start with. Thin volumes indicate bargain buyers. People are sufficiently liquid to resist a forced sale, and those sales that are being consumated are probably in two camps; controlled, marginal sales by the purchasers of bargain deals selling out of their old home, and bargain buyers on the foreclose market, pushing for low prices, and thereby forcing the average down.

[Dave A]

81% of South African adults voted in the 1994 national elections. For the 2009 elections the figure is roughly 59%. (StatsSA, IEC) (2009-04-28)

Did the novelty wear off, or is this a reflection of the quality of the people/parties on the ballot?