Govt services ‘under pressure’ as SA population grows
A governance expert says the country's growing population is putting pressure on government services.
South Africa's population has surpassed 63 million.
According to Stats SA, the country’s population grew by approximately 835,513 individuals, marking a 1.33% increase from July 2023 to July 2024.
The latest mid-year population estimates that women account for more than half of that number, at 32 million.
KwaZulu-Natal houses 12,3 million people - the second-most populated province.
Dr Harlan Cloete, a research fellow at the University of the Free State, says the government needs to utilise resources efficiently and effectively to meet the needs of the growing population.
"More people mean more demands on services, more schools, hospitals, clinics. It places additional pressure on the system, so government will need to find innovative ways of working of delivering, and also making sure that they collect revenue, especially local government for citizens and service delivery."
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