Chris Hani population grows by 3%

According to the Stats SA 2022/2023 census, the Chris Hani District‘s population grew from 806,479 in 2011 to 828,387 in 2022, reflecting a 3% increase.

The population within Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality saw the largest increase in the district, rising from 250,776 to 297,055 a 46,279 (18%) increase.

Inxuba Yethemba’s population grew from 65,560 to 77,578 (18%); Emalahleni’s rose from 120,758 to 128,873 (7%); and Sakhisizwe from 63,154 to 63,981 (1%).

This is part of a larger trend in the Eastern Cape, which saw its population increase from 6.6 to 7.2 million in the same period.

Meanwhile, AB Xuma and Instikayethu both saw a 12% decrease in population, from 155,513 to 132,799 and 150,718 to 128,101, respectively.

EC statistical support and coordination director, Nobutho Mpetsheni, shared the Stats SA census results at the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) on Monday.

The results, covering demographics, education, and households, were given to CHDM deputy mayor Noncedo September-Caba in September.

Mpetsheni said the population decreases in AB Xuma and Intsika Yethu could be due to a lack of employment and educational institutions in those areas, causing residents to seek opportunities elsewhere.

“People move between areas within the district, which sometimes may lead to an increase in population in one area and a decrease in another.

“An example is Komani is one of the areas that has shown a significant increase in population. People are pursuing job opportunities both within and outside the district.”

Mpetsheni also noted that there were a lot of male births, but that the number of men in the region decreased with time and picked up again later.

This showed that many men returned to their homelands to retire.

However, there were more elderly women than elderly men from the ages of 70 to 85.

In the Chris Hani District, there was a high number of teenagers from 14 to 19 years of age, she added.

“This information is important because it highlights the need for programmes to address the needs of these age groups.

“We need to ask ourselves what these teenagers are doing during their free time, and whether their activities could be contributing to social problems. Some of the youths are experiencing drug addiction.”

With regards to infrastructure and services, the Chris Hani region made significant progress (80%) in providing access to electricity.

However, there were still challenges in providing reliable water access in areas such as Ngcobo. The province was also experiencing water shortage issues.

Mpetsheni said Ngcobo and Ntsikayethu still had a low number of formal dwellings, and most people in the villages lived in informal dwellings.

“This reflects the poverty experienced by people in these areas.”

Chris Hani Stats SA manager Mawande Mhlontlo, said the next phase of statistics would be released early next year, which would include data such as unemployment and income figures.

It will also provide more detailed information about specific areas, such as villages and townships.

September-Caba welcomed the census results, saying: “This informs decision-making processes at all levels in our country and it’s linked to grading our municipalities, national government’s grants allocation service and service delivery in our areas.

“As CHDM and all our municipalities we don’t take the census for granted due to its impact on the work we are mandated to do in improving the lives of the people. These outcomes, especially when the population sharply decreases, have a severe impact for any municipality.”