GOOD news for multiracial households in South Africa

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Over the last two decades, the number of multiracial households in South Africa has risen markedly. This is according to Stats SA’s latest ‘Cultural Dynamics in South Africa’ study published last week, reports TimesLive. In brief, multiracial households in South Africa have increased from just 1.3% in 2002 to 11.4% in 2022.

The state-run entity calls it a ‘consistent upward trend’ for multiracial households in South Africa post democracy. And it’s even more poignant when you remember different racial groups were prohibited to marry or have sexual relations with one another under apartheid rule.

MULTIRACIAL HOUSEHOLDS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Multiracial homes are more prevalent in urban areas but the upward trend is consistent throughout the country. Image: File

Furthermore, multiracial households in South Africa are defined as homes with two or more people from different population groups (black, white, coloured, Indian/Asian, and other). These multiracial setups are more prominent in the Western Cape (17%), Gauteng (14.6%) and Northern Cape (10.6%). Meanwhile, Limpopo recorded the least prevalence (6.7%).

Moreover, within the major metros, the City of Johannesburg has the highest proportion (29.7%) and City of Cape Town second (24.5%). Mangaung (1.4%) and Nelson Mandela Bay (1.6%) have the lowest number of multiracial homes in South Africa. Similarly, multiracial households in South Africa are more prevalent in urban areas, but non-urban areas are also experiencing notable increases.

OTHER FASCINATING STATS

The Stats SA report reveals some worrying data regarding equity in education. Image: File

Likewise, the Stats SA report highlights some other fascinating trends in South Africa. For example, that our population is generally growing older but the black population remains younger in relative terms. IsiZulu remains the most spoken indigenous language in the country since 1996, with one in every five households speaking the language. isiXhosa and Afrikaans are second and third on the most-spoken language list, respectively.

Meanwhile, English and Afrikaans speakers have the highest proportion of Bachelors’ degrees after completing matric. This indicates that most universities in the country apply English as the medium of instruction, while some use both English and Afrikaans. This, in turn, might offer an added advantage to the speakers of these languages who were predominantly white. “The results reflect a clear inequality when it comes to educational achievement by spoken language,” concludes the report.