By Thomas Thale
THE Census 2001 report released by Statistics South Africa on Tuesday shows that the population of the City of Johannesburg stood at 3,2-million in October 2001, when the count was undertaken.
This is the first time that a reliable figure has been given for the city population since the municipal boundaries were reconfigured in 2000.
City planners have had to work with unreliable figures, so that the Joburg 2030 document, a blueprint for the city's economic development, was based on an estimate that 2,8-million people resided in the city.
Other interesting figures in the census are that:
- 86% of households in the city have a flush or chemical toilet on their dwelling
- 91% of households have refuse removed by the municipality at least once a week
- 86% of households have access to running water
- 80% of households use electricity as the main source of energy
- 17% of residents are illiterate and 42% have completed matric
- 37% of city residents are unemployed, and of these 91% are black
- 22% of Joburgers stay in informal dwellings.
The report also highlights other social trends. The numbers of households headed by one person stands at a massive 65%, while 35% of households are constituted by couples staying together under various arrangements.
Amanda Nair, director of development planning, transportation and environment in the city, welcomed the census results, saying they will help the council understand demographic trends of the city, which will inform how the city plans and responds to issues.
"We will now have a clearer picture of our economic profile, the aggregation of age groups and how resources are distributed in the city." She however, cautioned that the figures given could never be 100% accurate as they will be tampered by the high levels of migration to the city.
The census report also revealed that the South African population grew from 40.5 million people in October 1996 to 44.8 million people in October 2001.
