Mapping and examining the spatial dimensions of opportunity in Ekurhuleni metropolitan area: exploratory spatial analysis

Abstract

The South African spatial pattern opportunity continues to be marked by segregation and fragmentation even after apartheid. The apartheid regime has created a country that is spatially, economically, and socially uneven. Some areas are well-developed while others are marginalised and under-privileged. Regardless of the country’s interventions through development programmes and the provision of free services, the country’s metropolitan areas remain fragmented. Ekurhuleni is one of the metropolitan areas that resemble this fragmentation. This research study sought to examine the spatial distribution of opportunity in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan area using exploratory spatial analysis. The data for the analysis were acquired from the Census of 2011 conducted by Statistics South Africa, Pick & Pay, Spar, and the Department of Health. A total of nine opportunity indicators were used to calculate three opportunity dimension scores. The dimension scores were then used to calculate the overall opportunity indices for thirty-three main places. The findings demonstrated the spatial disparity in the distribution of opportunity across the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan area. Most of the main places that are known to be towns have good opportunities, while poor opportunities are predominantly in townships. Some of the townships were also classified as high opportunity areas, however, it does not look aesthetically pleasing. There are areas with a high number of people and good opportunity, while others had a high number of people and poor opportunity. This brought an understanding that the total number of people does not have a clear relationship with the opportunity score. The study concludes that there is an uneven distribution of opportunity in the metropolitan area and good opportunities are clustered in developed towns, while townships tend to have poor opportunities.