Thats merely one of the lowlights highlighted in a report by the Solidarity Research Institute as it looked back at 2016. The report shows that South Africa has huge problems on the economic front such as high unemployment and weak labour market absorption. Inflexible labour relations and legislation, high government debt and corruption pose major problems. Rugby – which has always been a great source of national pride – is probably at its lowest level.
Yet, says Dr Eugene Brink, Senior Researcher at the Solidarity Research Institute, it’s not all bad news. The citizenry and the private sector actually performed well.
Notable figures in the report include the following:
- 77% – The percentage of South Africans from all racial groups and from across the country who indicated in a poll by the South African Institute of Race Relations that merit should be the only criterion for the selection of sports teams.
- 68% – The percentage of voters in this year’s local government election who already had decided whom to vote for a month prior to the election. Only 8% decided on voting day and 10% during the weekend before the election.
- 7 978 980 – The number of voters who voted for the ANC in this year’s election – a mere 22% of all eligible voters.
- 18% – The percentage of South Africans who indicated in a poll by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) that land reform should be a priority for government. This is the second lowest of all the priority options in the poll after the brain drain.
- 92% – The percentage of municipalities whose finances this year are worrying or even require intervention according to the Auditor-General. In 2012-’13 it was 82%.
- 15 218 753 – The number of households with access to tap water in 2016. In 1996 it was 7 234 023.
- 79% – The number of provincial departments and public entities in the Western Cape that received clean audits from the AG in 2015-’16 – the highest of all the provinces.
- 49% – The number of survey respondents in a new study by The Ethics Institute of South Africa who said that it is possible to get through life in South Africa without paying a bribe. This figure is up from 27% in 2015.
