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3.4.2 Demography
Another important variable of development is demography. Demography has to do with
births, deaths and migration. It reflects the population size, population growth and the age
structure ofa population as well as changes in these as a result ofpopulation movement. A
fast population growth rate can be the result of a too high total fertility rate - that is, the
average number ofchildren per woman. It has been proven time and again that women with a
better economic outlook have fewer children than those with many children. One is therefore
tempted to suggest that development will improve the economic outlook and will therefore
lead to a lower fertility rate and a subsequent slower population growth rate. Yet the truth of
the matter is that a fast population growth rate nullifies the results of development. This
assertion is not true of fast growing countries like India and China which experience high
population growth rate and high economic growth. The question therefore arises as to what
should come first, a drop in the fertility rate or development? The answer is simply that it is
not a matter of what should come first. They should be simultaneous because a holistic
approach demands that all sectors be addressed at the same time (Oyowe. 1994).
Our Newtonian sense ofcause-effect contributes nothing to the solution of the problem. It is
not a matter of what causes what or is caused by what. It is a matter of addressing in a
holistic way the one single all encompassing problem of poverty. because poverty and
population growth feed on each other and development and demography are in a continuous
process ofmutual influence.
An understanding of the demographic patterns is significant in the development of Ulundi.
Hence this study understands that a predominantly young age-structure and rural-urban
migration affect the poverty situation in the study area.
3.4.3 Other influencing nriables
There are many other factors influencing the development of places. One can see local
development as a conglomerate ofdifferent C:.'., Co, with various primary and secondary
institutions and an ever-changing pattern of linkages; the cultural environment with strands of
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