A stark reminder of South Africa’s poverty crisis has emerged, with 23.2 million people living below the lower-bound poverty line, representing 37.9% of the population. According to the latest figures from Statistics South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal now ranks number one in terms of lower-bound poverty levels at 49.6%.
This is in the context of a nationwide crisis, where the poverty threshold forces difficult trade-offs between food and other necessities. During KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli’s Premier’s Coordinating Forum, Bongani Radebe of Statistics SA noted that in terms of poverty, the Income and Expenditure Survey (IES) of 2023 indicated that 68.8% of South Africa’s income is derived from work.
Poverty Lines and Income
In KZN, it is 63.8% while 12.5% is derived from pension and social insurance, which includes grants and others. Radebe highlighted that the IES of 2023 has allowed them to review national poverty lines. The food poverty line is set at R777, which is the threshold of absolute deprivation where a household will have no choice but to buy food.
Those who are at the lower-bound poverty line, where the poverty threshold forces difficult trade-offs between food and other necessities, are now adjusted to R1,300. The upper-bound of the line is at R2,635, which is the poverty line below which people cannot afford the basic lifestyle that most South Africans consider necessary.
Poverty Rates by Province
The IES 2023 says KwaZulu-Natal ranks number one provincially in terms of lower-bound poverty levels at 49.6%. Over time, it has not been number one, but recently, it has actually taken that spot. The North West now ranks as the second-highest province in terms of the lower-bound poverty levels.
Here are the poverty rates by province:
- KwaZulu-Natal: 49.6%
- North West: 45.1%
- Eastern Cape: 44.5%
The South African Multidimensional Poverty Index (Sampi), which measures poverty in dimensions such as health, education, living standards, and economic activity, shows that the national headcount poverty decreased from 17.9% in 2001 to 7.0% in 2016. However, this progress has been slow, and the latest figures suggest that poverty remains a significant challenge in South Africa.
