North West With a population of more than 3,3 million people, the North West has relatively few people in comparison with Gauteng or KwaZulu Natal, the Census’96 figures have revealed. Of these, around 1,7 million are female and 1,6 million are male. The results of the latest census, conducted nationwide in 1996 were announced by President Nelson Mandela and Finance Minister Trevor Manuel in Pretoria today. The results represent the population of South Africa as on the night of 9 to 10 October 1996. The figures show that at least 35% of the province’s population live in urban areas as opposed to around 65% who live in non-urban areas. South Africa as a whole boasts a population of 40 and a half million people. This is a large number. If all people in South Africa took hands, they would circle the earth once and a bit. Population distribution figures by groups in the North West reveal that more than 91% of the province's people are African/Black, while its Indian/Asian population constitute 0,3% of the total, its Coloured population 1,4% and its Whites 6,6%. Among people aged 20 years and above, almost 22% have had no schooling at all, while around 20% have had some primary education. 4,2% of the province's people have tertiary qualifications, around 13% have a matric, more than 31 % have had some secondary education and almost 8% have completed their primary education. Water is available to almost 30% of the population in the form of water piped to their dwelling. The most-used source of water supply is the public tap, which is used by more than 31% of the province's population. People in the North West Province rely heavily on public telephones. Almost 42% use a public telephone near their homes. Only around 17% have telephones or cellular phones in their dwellings and more than 19% of the population have no access at all to a telephone. The disability profile is as follows: 3,9% (sight), 1,1% (hearing), 1,6% (physical), 0,5% (mental), and 0,5% (more than one disability). |