The Eastern Cape poverty crisis is severe, as this province remains the poorest of the nine provinces in South Africa. This is the place we call home. We live in East London, the second biggest city in the Eastern Cape. Though it is classified as a city, East London often feels more like a large town, with its beaches, tidal rivers, and relaxed atmosphere. But behind the beauty lies a harsher reality: poverty, unemployment, and shocking statistics that reflect the daily struggles of ordinary people.

POPULATION COMPARISONS

To understand the setting, here are some figures that show where we live compared to elsewhere. South Africa as a whole has about 60 million people. Of those, 7.2 million live in the Eastern Cape. East London itself has a population of 414,000, while the greater East London area is closer to 1.4 million. To compare, San Diego in California has 1.42 million people, and San Antonio in Texas has 1.53 million. Numbers show that East London is no tiny dot on the map – it can be compared to well-known international cities. But what truly sets it apart is the reality of life in East London South Africa, where economic struggles run deep.

UNEMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC STRUGGLE

The story of unemployment in South Africa is one of the hardest truths. In 2023, the country had the highest unemployment rate in the world at 32.1%. By early 2024, it rose to 32.9%. In the Eastern Cape, however, the situation was worse, with unemployment at 42.4%. Compare this to San Antonio, Texas, where the unemployment rate in 2025 was only 3.7%.

Even education cannot guarantee work. In 2023, 33.7% of South Africans who completed matric (the last year of high school) were still unemployed. Even among university graduates, 9.7% had no work. The South African statistics 2025 show the same struggle: a growing labour force but not enough jobs to absorb it, leaving young people in despair.

ETHNIC POPULATION SNAPSHOTS

To further understand the context of poverty in South Africa, it helps to look at demographics. In 2022, the population of South Africa was made up of 81.7% Black, 8.5% Coloured, 7.2% White, and 2.6% Indian/Asian. In the Eastern Cape specifically, the breakdown was 85.7% Black, 7.6% Coloured, 5.6% White, and just 0.5% Indian/Asian.

By contrast, in 2021 the U.S.A had 59.3% White, 18.9% Hispanic and Latino, 12.6% Black, and 5.9% Asian. Texas in 2020 showed another mix: 39.7% White, 39.3% Hispanic and Latino, 12.2% Black, and 5.4% Asian. These comparisons highlight just how different South Africa looks in terms of ethnic distribution. The reason this matters is because the legacy of apartheid and ongoing inequality continues to shape who gets access to opportunities, who carries the weight of poverty, and how communities cope with challenges such as unemployment and teenage pregnancies.

SHOCKING YOUNG MOTHER PREGNANCIES

Among the most heartbreaking realities in South Africa is the rate of teenage pregnancies. It is not only a social challenge but a deeply personal one for the families and communities affected. One in seven births in South Africa is to a teenage mother. That is already alarming enough, but the situation in the Eastern Cape is even more shocking.

In just a five-month period in 2025, in the Eastern Cape alone, 85 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 gave birth. Also shocking, 4,700 girls aged 15 to 19 gave birth in that same period. The Eastern Cape has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in all of South Africa. This is not simply a statistic – it is a crisis. Children are having children. Many of them are unable to finish school, and their opportunities shrink even further in a province already drowning in unemployment.

The labour force in South Africa, especially in the Eastern Cape, grows faster than jobs can ever be created. The young are supposed to be the hope for the future, yet far too many of them are being set back before their lives even begin.

OUR PERSONAL STORY

We two white South Africans live in East London in the Eastern Cape. We are in our mid-50s and mid-60s. We work from home, though often we are simply unemployed. Life here is not easy.

Both of us live with health challenges. We are on medication for anxiety and depression. We both deal with arthritis, one of us including cervical spondylosis. We are also both on medication for high blood pressure, and one of us additionally for congestive heart failure. We both need new prescription glasses, and one of us requires an eye operation. These are everyday realities that weigh heavily when combined with financial struggles.

Our only fixed monthly income is a government pension (SASSA) of R2,300 (about $132) for just one of us. Yet our rent alone is R4,500 (about $259). The numbers do not add up. Somehow, we keep going. Financially we do what we can, when we can. And despite the challenges, we love East London. We love the Eastern Cape. We love South Africa. And most importantly, we love each other through it all.

FINDING HOPE ONLINE

One thing we remain grateful for is access to the internet. It gives us at least the chance to explore making money online in South Africa. It is not simple, but it is possible. The truth is South Africans do not necessarily need to rely on local employers if they can find ways to earn through online platforms that serve a global audience. We are learning, we are trying, and we have hope. That hope keeps us going, even on the hardest days.

OUR FRIDGE VIDEO AND POVERTY PERKS

To capture some of this reality, we created a YouTube video. It shows a fridge with a sad face, repeatedly opening and closing its fridge and freezer doors to reveal an empty interior. The fridge visuals alone says so much, but over it we added some statistics in text. The video also has an AI-generated song that sums up our experience in a slightly humorous but very real way.

Here are the words of the song:

“If power goes out the freezer gives a sigh,
But there’s nothin’ in there ain’t gonna lie.
So no worries ’bout spoiling veg or meat,
It’s a poverty perk – ain’t that sweet?

What’s for supper some may find to be a tricky one,
for us it’s rice with popcorn for pudding what fun!
Outta gas for cooking, no fuss, no shout,
We’ll burn some driftwood the tide washed out!

There’s just no reason to be bitter,
cat’s box got old paper no cat litter,
If loo roll’s empty we don’t even pout,
When there’s old newspaper all about!

When stuff and spirits run low we sleep instead,
We can dream of treats and fresh-baked bread!
With hope we know we can last a little longer,
And our love for each other makes us stronger!

chorus:
Too poor for the worries, too broke for the blues,
We just live on the bright side of yesterday’s news!”

This song may sound playful, but it is also painfully true. Poverty forces creativity. It makes you laugh at what others might cry about. It makes you grateful for small mercies, like a piece of driftwood for cooking or a pile of old newspapers when loo paper runs out. The video is a glimpse into the shocking stats of the Eastern Cape, our lives, and the way we choose to cope – with humor, resilience, and love.

HOLDING ONTO HOPE

It is easy to feel overwhelmed when you look at the numbers. Unemployment rates that are the highest in the world. Shocking teenage pregnancy statistics that reveal a cycle of poverty continuing with each new generation. Personal health and financial struggles that seem impossible to solve. Yet there is always a thread of hope.

Hope is in the young people who still dream of a better future. Hope is in the power of the internet to connect us to opportunities beyond our borders. Hope is in the small victories of getting through another day. And hope is in the love we have for each other, which carries us when nothing else seems enough.

We live in a province with many challenges, but also with beauty, resilience, and stories worth telling. Our blog, our video, and even this post are all part of sharing that story – not with bitterness, but with honesty.

Because in the end, we believe we can last a little longer. And maybe, just maybe, by telling our story, we remind someone else that they too can last a little longer.

If this blog post, the shocking statistics, or our story has moved you, or if you smiled at our “poverty perks” song and our fridge’s empty sighs, we’d love for you to share this post, share the video, and please subscribe to our YouTube channel beachy South Africa (all at no cost to you!). A little laughter, a little solidarity, and a lot of love go a long way. By helping spread awareness of what life is really like for many ordinary South Africans, you not only help support us, at no cost to you, but you also keep alive the message that hope and resilience in South Africa matter, no matter how difficult circumstances become.

© copyright 2025 Teresa (Terry) Flanigan of beachy South Africa – our YouTube channel beachy South Afica – please subscribe to our YouTube channel at no cost to you – it helps support us! Thank you!