Gauteng is one of the provinces in the north-east of South Africa. The word "Gauteng" is a Sesotho phrase meaning "Place of gold", referencing to the thriving gold industry following the 1886 discovery of gold in Johannesburg. The province is the centre of South Africa's industrial and commerce sectors.
Regions
Gauteng is broken up into the following regions:
Cities
Climate
A summer rainfall area, Gauteng experiences hot summer days that often result in short but intense afternoon thunderstorms, commonly accompanied by thunder and lightning. Summers nights are also hot.
The realtime Irene radar map provided by the South African weather service is a great tool to help you plan any afternoon outdoor activity in summer. It gives ample warning of any approaching thunder storms.
Winter is dry and cold with temperatures dropping to a little above freezing at night, however, winter days are beautiful with comfortable temperatures.
Other destinations
Gauteng is considered the gateway to Southern Africa. Many spectacular destinations are a short flight or drive away. It is a small province, flanked by four other provinces in South Africa.
Talk
English is widely spoken in Gauteng & you will rarely meet someone who can't speak it. Afrikaans, Sotho & Zulu are also common.
Get in
By plane
Almost all international flights arrive at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport , so it's highly likely that Gauteng with be your first destination on a holiday to Southern Africa.
By car
Gauteng is bordered by four provinces:
Get around
Public transport is non-existent by European standards, so you'll need to rent a car. There are plenty of rental agencies at OR Tambo International Airport or you could visit their websites of Avis Hertz.
Road are generally in good condition, but peak hour traffic in the mornings and afternoon can be slow.
A rapid rail link (Gautrain) is currently under construction between Johannesburg, Pretoria and OR Tambo International Airport, but this is not expected to be completed before 2010.
Do
There are a number of small nature reserves in Gauteng:
Eat
In Gauteng the locals eat out a lot, so there are plenty of restaurants & take-away places around. Johannesburg, Pretoria & surrounding areas are filled with places offering a variety of cuisine. From traditional African to American, Asian & European foods.
Drink
You'll be hard-pressed to find a non-licensed restaurant in Gauteng. There are many coffee shops, most of which are unlicensed since they serve hot beverages.
Stay safe
Though Gauteng (In particular Johannesburg) has a reputation for crime, rest assured it isn't all bad. As with everywhere in the world, some places are less safe than others.
Certain sections of the major cities (Pretoria & Johannesburg) are best visited in a group with an experienced guide, while others can be safely visited by the individual. Though many tourists are keen to visit a Township, be advised that the only safe option is to go with a tour operator that offers the service, do not go into a township by yourself or without an experienced guide!.
Unfortunately petty theft is a problem everywhere in South Africa, so keep an eye on your belongings. Don't, for example, leave your mobile phone lying unattended on a table at a restaurant. Make sure that if you are carrying a handbag, that is is secure, & not easily grabbed off your shoulder or out of your hands. Also make sure that your belongings are not visible when in your car, as "smash and grab" incidents do occur, particularly at traffic lights.
If you are traveling with a laptop or camera, use a bag that doesn't advertise its contents. Disguise your laptop by using a normal backpack bag instead of a laptop bag & do the same with your camera.
Stay healthy
HIV infection rate is high, DO NOT HAVE UNPROTECTED SEX.
Municipal water is safe to drink.
Hospitals
It is best to avoid public hospitals when possible, but private hospitals are of world class standard.
The following hospitals all cater for 24 hour accident and emergency treatment:
Get out
Gauteng is a province of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994. It was initially named Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging (or PWV) and was renamed Gauteng in December 1994.
Situated in the heart of the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province in South Africa, with only 1.4% of the land area, but it is highly urbanised and has a population of 8,837,178 (2001 South African National Census), the second-largest after KwaZulu-Natal. 2005 estimates as put forward by the CSIR Gauteng Spatial Development Perspective suggest, however, that Gauteng has overtaken KwaZulu Natal to become the most populous province in South Africa, with a total of 9.5 million people living there, growing at around 100,000 people every year. KwaZulu Natal's population has been estimated at 9.3 million people.
Etymology
The name Gauteng comes from the Sesotho word meaning Place of Gold, the historical Sesotho name for Johannesburg and surrounding areas referring to the thriving gold industry in the province following the 1886 discovery of gold in Johannesburg. The Sesotho word is in turn a locative derived from the Afrikaans "goud" (gold) plus the locative suffix "-ng." When properly pronounced, the first letter of the name Gauteng is a voiceless velar fricative, pronounced similarly to the "ch" in the German "achtung" or Scottish "loch." This pronunciation is natural in both the Sesotho and Afrikaans languages.
Law and Government
The current premier, since 1999, is Mbhazima Shilowa of the African National Congress.
Geography & Climate
Gauteng's southern border is the Vaal River, which separates it from the Free State. It also borders on North West to the west, Limpopo to the north, and Mpumalanga to the east. Gauteng is the only landlocked province of South Africa without a foreign border. Most of Gauteng is on the Highveld, a high-altitude grassland. Between Johannesburg and Pretoria there are low parallel ridges and undulating hills, some part of the Magaliesberg Mountains and the Witwatersrand. The north of the province is more subtropical, due to its lower altitude and is mostly dry savanna habitat.
The climate is mostly influenced by altitude. Eventhough the province is at a subtropical lattitude, the climate is comparatively cooler, especially in Johannesburg, at 1,700m above sea level (Pretoria is at 1,330m). Most precipitation occurs as brief afternoon thunderstorms, however relative humidity never becomes uncomfortable. Winters are crisp and dry with frost occurring often in the southern areas. Snow is very rare, but has occurred on some occasions in the Johannesburg metropolitan area.
Municipalities
Gauteng Province is divided into 3 metropolitan municipalities, and 3 district municipalities (which are further divided into 8 local municipalities).
Districts
Local municipalities
# Nokeng tsa Taemane Local Municipality
# Kungwini Local Municipality
# District Management Area of the West Rand District Municipality
# Mogale City Local Municipality
# Randfontein Local Municipality
# Westonaria Local Municipality
# Emfuleni Local Municipality
# Midvaal Local Municipality
# Lesedi Local Municipality
See also: List of cities and towns in Gauteng
Demographics
Gauteng Province is home to 8.8 million people (2001 South African National Census), almost 20% of the total South African population. Gauteng Province is also the fastest growing province, experiencing a population growth of over 20% between the 1996 and 2001 censuses, thus Gauteng is likely to soon have the highest population of any province in South Africa.
As of the census of 2001, there are 8,837,172 people and 2,651,243 households residing in Gauteng. The population density is 519.53/km². The density of households is 155.86/km². The racial makeup of Gauteng is Black African 73.81%, Coloured 3.82%, Indian/Asian 2.47%, White 19.90%.
22.1% of all households are made up of individuals. The average household size is 3.33.
In the municipality, the population is spread out with 23.6% under the age of 15, 19.6% from 15 to 24, 37.9% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 27 years. For every 100 females there are 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 102.3 males.
In the province, 14.4% of residents speak Afrikaans at home, 12.5% speak English, 1.9% speak IsiNdebele, 7.6% speak IsiXhosa, 21.5% speak IsiZulu, 10.7% speak Sepedi, 13.1% speak Sesotho, 8.4% speak Setswana, 1.4% speak SiSwati, 1.7% speak Tshivenda, and 5.7% speak Xitsonga. 1.0% of the population speaks a non-official language at home.
76.0% of residents are Christian, 18.4% have no religion, 1.7% are Muslim, 0.5% are Jewish, and 0.8% are Hindu. 2.6% have other or undetermined beliefs.
8.4% of residents aged 20 and over have received no schooling, 11.2% have had some primary school, 5.5% have completed only primary school, 34.3% have had some high school education, 28.0% have finished only high school, and 12.6% have an education higher than the high school level. Overall, 40.6% of residents have completed high school.
56.1% of housing units have a telephone and/or cell-phone in the dwelling, 41.5% have access to a phone nearby, and 2.3% have access that is not nearby or no access. 82.8% of households have a flush or chemical toilet. 84.2% have refuse removed by the municipality at least once a week and 2.6% have no rubbish disposal. 47.2% have running water inside their dwelling, 83.6% have running water on their property, and 97.5% have access to running water. 73.2% of households use electricity for cooking, 70.4% for heating, and 80.8% for lighting. 77.4% of households have a radio, 65.7% have a television, 15.1% own a computer, 62.1% have a refrigerator, and 45.1% have a cell-phone.
25.8% of the population aged 15-65 is unemployed. Of the unemployed persons, 92.4% are Black African, 3.3% are Coloured, 0.8% are Indian/Asian, and 3.5% are White. 32.2% of Black Africans are unemployed, 23.6% of Coloureds, 8.1% of Indians/Asians, and 4.6% of Whites.
The median annual income of working adults aged 15-65 is R 23 539 ($3,483). Males have a median annual income of R 24 977 ($3,696) versus R 20 838 ($3,083) for females. The median annual income by race is R 15 399 ($2,279) for Black Africans, R 33 448 ($4,949) for Coloureds, R 57 036 ($8,440) for Indians/Asians, and R 73 438 ($10,867) for Whites. The annual income distribution in Gauteng Province is:
Statistics South Africa Census 2001
Economy
Gauteng is considered the economic hub of South Africa and contributes heavily in the financial, manufacturing, transport, technology and telecommunications sectors, amongst others. It also plays host to a large number of overseas companies requiring a commercial base in and gateway to Africa.
Although Gauteng is the smallest of South Africa's nine provinces - it covers only 1.4% of the country's total land area - it contributes more than 38% of its gross domestic product (GDP) as well as 60% of its fiscal revenue. Indeed, Gauteng generates 9% of the GDP of the entire African continent.
Future growth
Gauteng is growing rapidly, due to mass urbanisation that is a feature of many developing countries. According to the State of the Cities Report, the urban portion of Gauteng - comprised primarily of the cities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni (the East Rand) and Tshwane (greater Pretoria) - will be a polycentric urban region with a projected population of some 14.6 million people by 2015, making it one of the largest cities in the world. AIDS may however negate this projection.
This rapid growth has brought with it both opportunities and challenges. As a global focal point, with access to the Southern African hinterland, Gauteng has the ability to link the world to a population approximately the same size as the United States. It is fast becoming to sub-Saharan Africa what the Eastern Seaboard megalopolis is to America. But this also presents some formidable obstacles, most notably the ability to provide access to basic amenities such as electricity and potable water. Transport is also a major problem, and Johannesburg, as the core of Gauteng, is beginning to experience the heavy traffic problems of cities such as Los Angeles and Bangkok. The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link is an attempt to remedy this problem, by providing efficient high-speed rail between Pretoria, Sandton, Johannesburg and OR Tambo International Airport; completion due 2010.
Government inability to deal with corruption adds to the problem of a region already bursting at the seams with illegal immigrants. These refugees from the rest of Africa flood into the economic hub of Southern Africa seeking a better life. They bring with them the legacies of the countries they are fleeing. It remains to be seen if this region can continue to play saviour to the people of other African states, without negatively being affected.
Education
Gauteng is a centre of learning in South Africa, and it has many universities and other schools of higher learning.
Gauteng Department of Education has embarked on a project to provide fully functional ICT laboratories to all public schools in Gauteng. The name of this project is Gauteng OnLine
Conservation
Although Gauteng province is dominated by the urban areas of Johannesburg and Pretoria, it has some beautiful nature reserves:
Sport and recreation
Rugby, or more accurately rugby union, is a popular sport in South Africa, and in Gauteng in particular. Two rugby teams from Gauteng participate in the Southern Hemisphere Super 14 championship: the Pretoria-based Bulls, and the Johannesburg-based Lions (previously the Cats). Three Gauteng-based teams play in the country's domestic competition, the Currie Cup: the Blue Bulls from Pretoria, the Golden Lions from Johannesburg and the Falcons from the East Rand.
Walking and Hiking are also popular in Gauteng. But high crime rates and urban neglect have made it difficult and often dangerous to walk in the parks and greenbelts. For more info on walking in Gauteng, have a look at Gauteng Dogwalks homepage - it has photos, maps and more info on getting people safely back into the province's parks.
There are some interesting tourist attractions too: the Sterkfontein caves, and the Wonder Cave Kromdraai are in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.
Football is also popular in South Africa. Several teams from Gauteng play in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), including Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
See also: Vodacom Cup
External links
