Unemployment is listed as the most stressful aspect of living in Cape Town, a new report says. A document, listing the top "stresses" and "shocks" in the city was reportedly tabled in the Cape Town city council on Wednesday, Times Select reported. The report apparently comes from a "resilience office" established after Cape Town was selected to join the 100 Resilience Cities global network.
The report apparently says 14 "stress factors" the city faces include climate change, crime and violence, food insecurity, lack of affordable housing and inadequate public transport.
The report also says Cape Town needs to prepare for storms and floods in the future.
On violence and food security, it reportedly says,
"Cape Town ranks among the to 20 most violent cities in the world. Areas like Nyanga and Khayelitsha have some of the highest murder rates in the country, while the level of gang violence in the Cape Flats is a significant concern. Rape, murder and serious contact crimes are very high in the city... For many poor and vulnerable Capetonians, the ability to put food on the table is a daily challenge. At the same time, in light of climate change-related shocks, ongoing food security is of crucial importance to Cape Town's resilience."
The report apparently says climate change "exacerbates the occurrence and severity of extreme weather such as droughts, heatwaves and storms."
It also says racism "continues to exist in many forms".
"Whether perceived or real, many black Capetonians do not feel comfortable in all spaces in the city."
The 2016 State of South African Cities Report, released every six years, said Cape Town is the only city in South Africa where the proportion of people living in informal areas had increase in the previous five years.
According to IOL, the report said this was due to significant population growth in the city between 2001 and 2011.
But the City has the lowest unemployment rate in the country. The City itself said that, according to Statistics South Africa, Cape Town's employment levels have increased for six consecutive quarters.
According to Fin24, by Statistics South Africa's expanded definition, as of February 2018, Cape Town's unemployment rate is 23%, the lowest in the country. This compares with Gauteng, which is at 33.7%, and KwaZulu-Natal, which is at 41%.