5 Year Strategic Plan 2005/06 - Department of Education

Table 10: Distribution of Total Population by Education Districts as indicated by the 1996 & 2001
Census
District 1996 2001 % Growth 1996 - 2001
Bizana 235 520 245 419 4.2%
Butterworth 288 660 287 770 -0.3%
Cofimvaba 207 432 194 245 -6.4%
Cradock 92 972 92 916 -0.1%
East London 540 188 562 111 4.1%
Ngcobo 199 218 202 422 1.6%
Fort Beaufort 167 871 153 478 -8.6%
Graaff-Reinet 109 711 109 146 -0.5%
Grahamstown 123 637 130 021 5.2%
Dutywa 243 744 253 379 4.0%
King William's Town 413 410 407 532 -1.4%
Lady Frere 125 243 115 935 -7.4%
Libode 407 298 427 397 4.9%
Lusikisiki 369 517 391 766 6.0%
Maluti 164 751 147 104 -10.7%
Mt Fletcher 134 635 137 581 2.2%
Mt Frere 214 006 228 999 7.0%
Port Elizabeth 769 639 799 821 3.9%
Queenstown 198 169 204 784 3.3%
Qumbu 194 392 196 674 1.2%
Sterkspruit 191 999 203 775 6.1%
Uitenhage 336 062 355 024 5.6%
Mthatha 394 626 415 227 5.2%
Umzimkulu 162 155 174 339 7.5%
p a r t C : b a c k g r o u n d i n f o r m a t i o n
Table 10 shows that the district with the highest population in 2001 was Port Elizabeth with
799 821, followed by East London with 562 111 and Libode with 427 397. A total of nine
districts had a population of more than 250 000 in 2001. The smallest district in the Eastern
Cape in terms of population is Cradock, with 92 916. Other small districts, with less than 150
000 people, are Graaff-Reinet, Lady Frere, Grahamstown, Mt Fletcher and Maluti.
Although Port Elizabeth and East London districts include the two largest urban centres, they
still only account for 21% of the population in the province. There are sizable populations
elsewhere, such as Mthatha, Libode and Lusikisiki, all of which lie in the north-eastern part of
the province.
Table 10 also shows population growth that occurred between the two censuses by district for
the period 1996 to 2001. This is an important indicator of future demand for schooling and
points to the need for new school construction and, in cases of population decline, for
rationalization. The education district with the highest rate of population growth during the
period was Umzimkulu, which experienced a growth rate of 7.5% (from 162 155 in 1996 to
174 339 in 2001). Other high growth districts for this period were Mt Frere, Sterkspruit,
5 Year ECDoE Strategic Plan for 2005/06 to 2009/10. March 2006 Page 60
5 Year ECDoE Strategic Plan for 2005-06 to 2009-10. 21 F (3) Page 56