Rural Development in the Broader Context of Economic Development and Innovation

Concluding remarks:

• South Africa’s economy is largely driven by cities
• Towns and cities serve as concentrations of economic activity within the national spatial economies
• Economies of scale
• Specialised business services
• Infrastructure
• 71% of population live in cities and towns, particularly along the coast, Gauteng, and Limpopo and account for 88% of all formal economic activity in the country
• 24% of the population live in and around homelands and produce 4% of all formal economic activity
• Traditional authorities control about 20% of country’s land, 20% of population live there, and account for 3% of formal economic activity
• Six Metros account for 57% of all municipal spending