Geography of contentment: Life satisfaction across wards in Gauteng
This Map of the Month shows spatial variation in life satisfaction across wards in Gauteng. Using data from GCRO’s Quality of Life (QoL) Survey 7 (2023/24), this map highlights how some wards report higher levels of life satisfaction than others. Additional analysis shows which wards have experienced increases or decreases in life satisfaction between 2020/21 and 2023/24, reflecting the post-COVID-19 context. The analysis also explores average life satisfaction across a range of variables, including demographic, economic, and subjective experiences.
Date of publication:
November 2025
Author(s):
The suffocating cost of transport in the Gauteng City-Region
This Map of the Month shows that where you live in Gauteng determines how much of your income you spend on travel. In many wards in township areas and on the periphery of the GCR, people travelling to work or shop may spend on average up to 50% of their per capita household income on transport. This is far above the national affordability target of 10%. The map reveals a deep spatial inequality where the poor are effectively ‘taxed by distance’, paying proportionally more to access work and shops. Without targeted subsidies and integrated planning, the relative cost of mobility will remain a key barrier to opportunity.
Date of publication:
October 2025
Author(s):
Gender and race representation in Johannesburg’s street renaming initiatives
Johannesburg’s street renaming initiatives have improved racial and gender representation among Johannesburg’s 49 renamed streets. Before 1994, no streets honoured black figures, 22 commemorated white figures, and 27 were not named after people. Only 2 honoured women, while 20 commemorated men. After renaming, 39 street names honour black figures, 5 commemorate white figures, and 5 are not named after a person. Gender representation has also shifted significantly, with 16 streets renamed after men and 28 after women, including major arterials such as Albertina Sisulu Road and Winnie Mandela Drive.
Date of publication:
September 2025
Grade 10 enrolments by type of mathematics in the Gauteng Province
Choosing between Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy, and Technical Mathematics in Grade 10 is crucial for learners and their guardians, impacting future education and careers. This Map of the Month analyzes the choices made by Gauteng’s Grade 10 class of 2025, revealing low enrolment in Mathematics overall, and especially low enrolment in schools in poorer areas. The discussion highlights the need to create economic opportunities where strong maths skills are not a barrier to further education or employment.
Date of publication:
July 2025
Mapping social assistance in Gauteng
This Map of the Month uses data from the Quality of Life 7 (2023/24) survey to examine the spatial distribution of households receiving social grants in Gauteng. The map also explores the gendered dimension of social grants by considering how grant receipt patterns vary between female- and male-headed households, both in overall terms and spatially across different parts of the province.
Date of publication:
May 2025
