Well over half of the citizens of Gauteng think that South Africa is heading in the wrong direction, although Gauteng residents still enjoy a good quality of life overall.

This is one of the findings from the Quality of Life Survey (QoL) 2013, conducted by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO). A representative sample of more than 27 000 of Gauteng’s residents were polled for the biennial survey, carried out for the third time in 2013.

The Gauteng economy is worth R1-trillion, way above the rest of the country and producing 36% of the country’s GDP. Although it has been impacted by the recession, Gauteng’s economy is still growing at double the national rate.

At least 60% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the country is going in the wrong direction, says Professor David Everatt, executive director of the GCRO.

Part of the reason for this is that at least 80% of people do not believe public officials are doing the best they can; and that corruption is the main threat to democracy.

Xenophobia is also on the rise – 35% of respondents said that we should send all foreigners home; and its particularly strong in Tshwane although it is a province-wide problem.

“No-one cares about people like me” was a statement that well over half of respondents agreed with.

It’s not all bad news, says Everatt. Gauteng income is still very high by international standards, and there has been a significant drop in income inequality, if people with no income are excluded. Adding in the people with no income muddies the water somewhat, but it varies by region.

Over the last 10 years, however, average ward income as a percentage of Gauteng income has increased – with both the rich and the poor increasing their income.

The real challenges in the province, Everatt says, is not so much in service delivery but in people’s attitudes.

In 2013, 91% of residents had piped water and adequate sanitation – considering the population grows by 2,6% per year, Everatt says, we will likely never reach 100%. Refuse collection could improve, but 91% of people have access
to electricity and lighting.

However, people are not necessarily satisfied with these services, with fewer people satisfied than those who have access to the services. Road satisfaction is particularly low, along with street lighting and storm water drainage.

Municipal billing is also a source of high dissatisfaction, with very few residents either satisfied or very satisfied. Everatt points out that this reflects a mistrust in government.

Interestingly, Gauteng citizens are satisfied with education, but not with health services or with safety and security.

Overall, Gauteng residents display an average of about 60% satisfied with services, although there are some big challenges ahead as well as some areas where government should deliver some easy wins.

However, when it comes to dissatisfaction with national government, most residents have about a 40% dissatisfaction rate, with some areas close to 60% – particularly in the poorer south and west.

On a provincial level, about 40% of citizens were dissatisfied in 2011, with a massive decline in 2013 to well over 50%.

In terms of local government, 2011 showed huge dissatisfaction and almost overall dissatisfaction levels approaching 70%.

Everatt points out that people may be satisfied with services, but still don’t trust the government.

The informal sector is growing, but it largely procures its goods from the formal sector. And, in 2013, 63% of the population have used the informal sector because it is affordable and convenient.

Hunger is still a real challenge in Gauteng, with citizens across many areas in the province saying they have no money to feed their children. But only a small percentage of people grow food to either eat or sell, either because they don’t want to or can’t.

At the same time only a small percentage of people use rainwater or recycle.

This could be because there is a notion that economic growth will inevitably damage the environment, Everatt says.

In terms of transport, most people use taxis to look for work, while over 10% still walk to look for work.

More than 80% of Gautengers say they won’t change their route because of the e-tolls, but almost 1,5-million are changing their routes and therefore using secondary roads. However, 1-million will also change their mode of transport, which is a positive outcome.

The GCRO also launched the Mobility in the Gauteng City-Region publication, and the GCRO Barometer.

The GCRO’s newest research report Mobility in the Gauteng City-Region is the product of a multi-year GCRO project on transport in the Gauteng City-Region. The project sought to better understand the historical and current transport trends, viewed against the transport questions in the biennial Quality of Life Survey.

Its second objective was to gauge the impact of key transport infrastructure interventions and the effects of a lack of infrastructure in some areas.

Over the last two years, the GCRO has been developing a visualisation tool that can be used to see developmental progress in the GCR at a single glance. The GCRO Barometer depicts developmental progress in the GCR in a single interactive graphic, using 38 indicators stretched across 10 key sectors.

It serves as a tracking and diagnostic tool, and also as an information portal for policy makers and the public wanting to see where progress is being made and where concerns remain.

Most importantly, the GCRO Barometer serves as a tool for benchmarking the GCR against other provinces in South Africa and comparable city-regions across the world.

The GCRO was established in 2008 as a partnership between the University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand, and the Gauteng Provincial Government, with local government in Gauteng also represented on the GCRO board via SALGA.

It is charged with helping to build the knowledge base that government, business, labour, civil society and citizens all need to make this vision a reality. It collects data and benchmarks the city-region, provides policy analysis and support, undertakes applied research, and publishes critically reflective academic work.