Fifteen years after apartheid, the Eastern Cape - with an estimated population of 6.74 million in 2010 with 87.6% black Africans - is one of the poorest provinces in South Africa and has an extremely high level of income disparity (Gini coefficient: 0.70). Monde Makiwane and Dan Chimere-Dan recommend that demographic profiles be used to increase the impact of policies aimed at development and poverty reduction in the province. This article is based on the State of the Population in the Eastern Cape Report, written by the HSRC and the Africa Strategic Research Corporation on behalf of the Department of Social Development in the Eastern Cape province.
Human Sciences Research Council (Wed,) studied this question.