23% of those in LSMs one to five have consumed beer in the last 7 days. On average, beer drinkers in this market consume over 6.5 servings of beer per week compared to 7.7 servings for beer drinkers in LSMs six to ten. (AMPS2006A)

This week’s theme: The Bottom of the Pyramid is back

About R260 million is spent on cell phone expenses each month by people with a monthly household income of R1,600 or less. (AMPS2006A)

This week’s theme: The Bottom of the Pyramid is back

About 76,000 households with a household income less than R1,600 per month purchased a fridge in the last 12 months. For households with an income of R8,000 or more, about 66,000 purchased a fridge. (AMPS2006)

This week’s theme: The Bottom of the Pyramid is back

24% of adults from households with a monthly household income of less than R1,000 have eaten in a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in the last month. (AMPS2006A)

This week’s theme: The Bottom of the Pyramid is back

The poor will receive over R62 billion in social grants in the 2007/08 financial year. This is more than double the total turnover of Shoprite Holdings inSouth Africa (R30.2 billion for 2005/06). (SA Social Security Agency Strategic Plan, Shoprite financial statements)

This week’s theme: The Bottom of the Pyramid is back

Section 27.1(a) of the South African Constitution states ‘Everyone has the right to have access to health care services.’ According to the 2005 General Household Survey, 93% of South Africans are within one hour of a clinic (using one’s usual form of transport). The corresponding figure for hospitals is 84%.

This week’s theme: South Africa’s Bill of Rights

Section 29.1(a) of the South African constitution states ‘Everyone has the right to a basic education, including adult basic education’. According to the Labour Force Survey of 2005, 3.5 million South Africans over the age of 16 cannot read or write.

This week’s theme: South Africa’s Bill of Rights

Section 31.1(a) of the South African constitution states ‘Persons belonging to a cultural, religious or linguistic community may not be denied the right, with other members of that community to enjoy their culture, practise their religion and use their language.’ 13% of South Africans belong to Apostolic Churches, 11% to Zionist Christian Churches, and 8% to Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches. 1.5% of South Africans are Moslem, and 0.2% are Jewish. 15.1% of South Africans are not affiliated with any religion at all. (Census 2001)

This week’s theme: South Africa’s Bill of Rights

Section 26.1 of the South African Constitution states ‘Everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing.’ According to the General Household Survey of 2005, there are 12.7 million households in South Africa. Over two million households live in shacks while a further 1.5 million live in traditional dwellings or huts. Of those in formal structures, 2.6 million use pit latrines or bucket toilets.

This week’s theme: South Africa’s Bill of Rights

On average people working or trading in the informal sector earn almost double that of a domestic worker. (GHS 2005)

This week’s theme: Domestic workers in South Africa