South Africa’s overall development has improved, according to a new index released by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
In the first quarter of 2011, the South African Development Index gained 1,66% to 101,66 points. This was off a base of 100 points.
“Although this is a small increase over a short amount of time … it is a positive result for South Africa’s development,” Ashwin Pienaar, a researcher at the SAIRR, told media.
“This is the first release but this index will be more useful with more releases,” he said.
The index tracks six areas, of which four had decreased. The two that increased led to the overall increase.
The economic, living conditions, gender and health sectors all marginally declined. Education and crime showed an improvement.
These areas were chosen because they broadly represented a cross-section of those factors that contributed to development in South Africa, said Pienaar.
The education improvement was largely due to better matric results in 2010.
Number of serious crimes decreased
Improved crime data from the police influenced the better score for crime.
Over the measured period, the number of serious crimes per 100 000 people decreased from 4 313 to 4 298.
The number of murders per 100 000 people dropped from 37 to 34.
The economic score, which included the gross domestic product and unemployment rate, declined largely due to the increased unemployment rate.
The living conditions score dropped slightly due to fewer people using electricity for heating.
“What is notable is households using electricity for heating is down by 1,4%.
“This might be of concern as we consider heating to be necessary, particularly in winter. It is a good indicator of how South Africans are faring,” said Pienaar.
The health sector’s lower score was attributed to increased infant mortality, increased HIV-infections and declining female life expectancy.
The gender score reflected that female participation in the labour force had decreased by 1,1% over the quarter. The number of professional females in the work force also decreased.
The SAIRR launched the index due to a lack of detailed information available specifically to South Africa in other indexes.
“It goes into a level of detail not found in other indexes … with 26 components.”
Pienaar said SAIRR hoped the index would assist government and the private sector to benchmark South Africa’s performance.
The project is funded by the Dutch government and the information is freely available to everyone. It will be published every quarter. — Sapa