ABSTRACT
This chapter traces trends in interpersonal and inter-regional inequality within South Africa since the establishment of a democratic state in 1994. It reviews key aspects of the co-evolution of the innovation system, side by side with current and historical inequality in the science, engineering and technology workforce and inequality in the benefits of innovation output. The majority of South Africa’s urban population, or approximately 11.3 million people, reside in the province of Gauteng where the metropolitan municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni are situated. More than 65 per cent of South Africa’s population, or 34 million, people live outside the six metropolitan areas; in large and small towns and in rural locations, where the predominant economic activity is community services. The size of the South African economy in 2010 was US$ 534.2 billion and GDP per capita was approximately US$ 10,687.
