THE URBAN GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTH AFRICA R. J. DAVIES INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY OF NATAL DURBAN 1972 THE URBAN GEOGRAPHY O P SOUTH AFRICA R.J. DAVIES Centre for App'iod S'ooitl Sciences Uri-ive sity of Nodal KirtS Cc sroe V Avenue Durban 4491 South Afica INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY OP NATAL DURBAN 1972 (i) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No, CONTENTS* ••,•••••••••••........ * ..... .................. (i) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................ (x) INTRODUCTION. ............................ 1 CHAPTER 1: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN CITY SYSTEM......... 3 The Pre-Industrial Stage. 8 The Transition P h a s e . • 20 The Mid and Late Transition Phases: 1870 to 1910 and 1910 to 1933..... ...... ............. 33 The Industrial Stage of* Development 1933-1993?..... 51 CHAPTER 2 : IDENTITY OF THE CITY SYSTEM........ 65 CHAPTER 3i SIZE RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE CITY SYSTEM 77 The National System.• 78 Regional City Sub-Systems.• 81 Rank over T i m e . 87 Distribution of* Cities by Size.................... • 89 Urban Population Potential.• 92 CHAPTERS; THE ECONOMIC BASE OF SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES 95 Introduction.95 The Data............. ..................................... 96 General Analysis............................ 96 Analysis by Industry D i v i s i o n * • 98 Economic Classification of* Cities. •*••••••••••..•• • 98 Classification of Cities.••»••••••••••••••••«•••••• 101 Spatial Distribution.••.•••••••••...«9•*..•••• ••• .» 108 The Manufacturing Component.•.•.••••.•••••••••••••• 112 Definitions and D a t a . • 112 The Structure of Urban Manufacturing: An Overview., 113 Manufacturing Cities.• 115 Ubiquitous and Sporadic Industries.••..•••.•••••••• 131 Dominant Industries.• 133 Variations in Industry Structure..,.......,,.,..... 133 Manufacturing and Size of Place in the South African City S y s t e m , ,..... 135 City Size and Manufacturing Employment..•.••••••••« 138 (ii) Page No. The Structure of Manufacturing by City Size........ 142 Industry Distribution and City Size................ 145 Industry Group and City Size.••.••••••••*»••«•••••• 149 Variation in Manufacturing Structure and City Size. 151 Variation within City Size C l a s s . •* 154 C o n c l u s i o n s 154 CHAPTER 5: THE SOUTH AFRICAN URBAN SERVICE HIERARCHY 159 Determination of an Urban Hierarchy................ 160 The D a t a . • 160 The Urban Hierarchy.••••••••.••••«.«•••••*. 163 Population and the Total Number of Functional Units 163 The Relationship of a Centrality Index and Population. 165 The Functional Identity of the Urban Hierarchy,..,. 167 The Characteristics of the South African Urban H i e r a r c h y . .... »•••••••« 171 S t r u c t u r e 171 The Structure of the Urban Hierarchy by Regional City Sub-Systems.••••••••••••«•*••**»«*•••••*»•••» 175 City Size.••••..••••••••.•••••••••••••••«»«,•«..«•• 178 The Functional Basis of the South African Hierarchy 179 Low-Crder Service Centres (Order 8).«•••••••...•••• 179 Local Service Centres (Order 7)........»••••■•••••• 181 Minor Country Towns (Order 6),••••••••...»••«•••••• 181 Country Towns (Order 5).•••«•».».••.«.*............ 182 Major Country Towns (Order 4)......... 183 The Spatial Identity of the Urban Hierarchy........ 184 CHAPTER 6: PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS ANALYSIS OF THE CITY SYSTEM......................... 192 CHAPTER 7: GROWTH WITHIN THE CITY SYSTEM.•«•«•••••.. 199 The Demographic Structure of the Urban Population,• 200 Age Structure of the Population.•••.••••••••••••••• 200 Spatial Distribution P a t t e r n s 205 The Rural Population. • 205 All Population Groups. Fig. 33..................... 205 Rural Whites. Fig.34.••••••••••••••*••••»•••••••..• 209 Urban Population all Groups. Fig.35.•••••••••.«•••• 209 Analysis of the Age-Sex Structure of the White Urban P o p u l a t i o n , . 213 (iii) Page No. Sex-Ratio Patterns,.,. 2 1 3 The White Urban Population on a Progressive- Regressive Demographic Scale.... 2 2 2 Conclusion.• 226 Analysis of Growth Rates of Cities*......•...,•«•«. 227 Growth P a t t e r n s . 227 The Pattern of Growth of South Africa*s Cities..... 227 Classification of Cities by Growth-Rate Pattern.... 229 Correlative Analyses of City Growth and Selected Measurable Variables.. 2 3 1 Correlation of Growth Rate and Size of Place....... 231 Growth Pattern by Size of Place.«••••••••••••...... 232 The Large Cities of Over 50,000 Population., 232 Cities with Fewer than 50,000 persons.............. 233 Correlation between Growth Pattern and Employment in Services, Commerce and Finance and Manu­ facturing, • 23** A Correlative Analysis of the Growth Pattern of Cities and Selected Spatial Variables....... 236 Growth Pattern and Rainfall Zones.•.••..•••••••••.. 236 The Agro-Economic Divisions and Growth Patterns.*.. 237 Correlation of Growth Patterns and Facilities for Development Areas .......................... 238 Growth Rate Analysis for the Period 1951-1960...,,. 240 The Spatial Distribution of Cities According to Their Growth Pattern. 240 Relative Changes in Population Growth 1904-1960,... 24l Percentage Distribution of Population by City Sub-Systems, . 245 Percentage Distribution of Net Shifts of Urban Population Within the City S y s t e m . 247 CHAPTER 8s SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.................. 251 APPENDIX A : ...................................... 258 Centrality Indices.. 258 Threshold P o p u l a t i o n . 260 Index Urban Hierarchy, ........................... 273 BIBLIOGRAFHY ............. 275 (iv) LIST OF TABLES Table No Page No 1. Stages of* Economic Growth: South Africa 1652-1960............... , ...................... 9 2a« Establishment of Cities 1652-1960..................• 15 2b. Establishment of Cities by Provinces 1652-1960,.... 16 3a, Mean Distance in Kilometres to Nearest Neighbour (**4) 1806-1960....................................... 17 3b, Density of Cities per Square Kilometre......... 17 3c, Expected Mean Distance to Nearest Neighbour (rE ) 1806-1960............................................ 18 3d. Nearest Neighbour Statistics (j?) by Sub-System 1806-1960..................... '...................... 18 3e, Distribution Pattern by Nearest Neighbour Statistics 19 4. Growth of the Total Urban and Rural Population of South Africa 1904-1960................... *......... 39 5. Percentage of the Population Living in Urban Areas.. 40 6. Racial Composition of the Urban Population 1904-1960 4l 7a, Number and Population of Cities According to Size of Population. All Races 1904-1960.,,.,,.... ...... 7b. Percentage of the Population Resident in Cities by Size Group. ............. ....... ........ 47 8, Percentage of Cities in Different Size Groups 1904-1960................................. 48 9. Levels of Primacy Within the National and Regional City Systems 1904-1960,.......... 49 10. National Income (in Millions ofRands)...,...,...... 52 11. Economic Surfaces by Gross Domestic Product and Area I960........... 56 12. Actual and Expected Size of Largest City 1904 and I960 by City Sub-System, ........... ....... 82 13. Change in Rank of South African Cities 1904-1960.... 88 l4a. Distribution of Cities by City Sub-System by Size Group, 1904, ........................ 90 l4b. Distribution of Cities by City Sub-System by Size Group, I960......... 91 (v) Table Ho, Page No, 15# Distribution of* Cities by Size, Service Status and Activity Ratio I960...,............................ 97 16. Urban Measures: Economically Active Population by Industry Divisions I960,...••••••«••.••#•...••«.••• 98 17# Distribution of* 318 Cities According to Three Systems of* Classification, by Industry Divisions I960. ........ ............................... 99 18. Economic Classification of 318 South African Cities I960........... .......................................................... 102 19. Number of Manufacturing Cities by k Levels by City Sub-Systems.» • HI 20. Manufacturing Employment, I960, by Industry Group... 114 21. Manufacturing Profiles of South African Cities, I960 116 22. Distribution of Cities and Manufacturing Employment by Manufacturing Size Class...........•••••••••••••• 130 23. Percentage Employment in All Economic Activities and in Manufacturing by Population Size Class, I960 130 24. Distribution of Cities According to Absence/Presence of Industry Group, I960,......• 132 25. Distribution of Cities by Dominant Industries, I960. 134 26. Urban Manufacturing Employment by City Size Class... 139 27. Manufacturing Ratios, Location Quotients and k Values by City Size Class, • 14-0 28. Correlation Coefficients of City Size with M a n u f a c t u r i n g , 142 29. Percentage Employment in City Size Classes by Industry G r o u p . 143 30. Percentage Employment in Industry Groups by City Size C l a s s 147 31. Indices of Urbanization for Twenty-One Industry -kq Groups... .... 32. Industry Ratios for Pour Groups by City Size Class,, 150 33. Correlation Coefficients of City Size with Employment in Foui Industry Groups• 152 34. Correlation Coefficients of City Size with Ratios in Four Industry Groups,,.••«••••••••••••••*«•....• 152 35 , Diversity and Dissimilarity Indices by City Size Class.. 1 5 3 (vi) Table Mo , Page No, 36, Correlation Coefficients of City Size and Manu­ facturing Ratio with Diversity and Dissimilarity I n d i c e s , . , . ••*...»•*« 154 37* Variation Coefficients for City Size Classes,,...... 155 38. Central Functions...................• • • « . l6l 39. Grouping of C i t i e s . ••••••• 166 40. Point Bi-eerial Correlation Coefficients for Attribute Functions..,,*•..•••**•...•••••••••••**.. 168 41. Threshold