iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

👀 Want to level up your data viz game? I’ve compiled 100+ of my go-to tools into a free guide, from charting libraries to storytelling tips. 🛠️ 15+ pages of tools and guides 🎯 Covers design, cleaning, inspiration + 📥 Get it here: theoutlier.co.za/dataviz-guide 💬 Got a favourite tool I should add?

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Gauteng needs about 200 new schools, but has only built 48 schools in the 10 years between 2015 and 2025 and most of those we rebuilds. More: theoutlier.co.za/articles/thi...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Only 32 countries in the world host AI-focused data centres and fewer than 20% of those are in the Southern Hemisphere. theoutlier.co.za/articles/thi...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

South Africa’s consumer price index (CPI) rose slightly from 2.7% in March to 2.8% in April 2025. The main contributors to the uptick were housing and utilities, food, beverages, tobacco, and restaurant and accommodation services. theoutlier.co.za/tools/view/c...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

West Africans have far higher visa rejection rates than the global average which loses them millions of US$ every year. These are only Sub-Saharan countries as the North African countries have significantly higher application numbers but lower rejection rates. theoutlier.co.za/articles/thi...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Mozambique is South Africa’s biggest African trade partner and exports reached close to R120-billion in 2024. SA’s other top partners are, not surprisingly, its immediate neighbours, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. theoutlier.co.za/articles/thi...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Africans lost more than $70-million in rejected Schengen visa fees in 2024. Each Schengen visa application costs €90 (around R1,800) and is non-refundable. theoutlier.co.za/articles/thi...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

SA crime statistics show that in the last quarter of 2024 at least 96 murders recorded on farms, plots and small holdings, out of a total of more than 6,000 murders over the same period. More people are murdered in a pub, tavern or bottle store than on farm land. theoutlier.co.za/articles/thi...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Seapoint, Camps Bay and Clifton have the most Airbnb listings in Cape Town. In the CBD there are more than four times the number of listings than in most other areas. There were 25,816 Airbnbs listed in Cape Town in Dec 2024. This is 2,798 more than in March 2024. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

What's 16c worth? About R23-billion by 2028 according to SA's National Treasury. The 16c/litre fuel levy increase announced last week is expected to boost govt coffers by this much. It's the first levy increase since 2021/22 theoutlier.co.za/articles/thi...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

In Africa, 25% of the electricity is generated from low-carbon sources. Hydropower is the main source of low-carbon electricity, generating 17% of the continent’s electricity. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

Ten years ago, in 2014, 90% of South Africa’s electricity was generated from coal, in 2024 it was 82%, according to global energy think tank Ember’s data. In January 2025, coal reached a new monthly low of 74.3% of the electricity mix. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart... #ourworldincharts

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

People in South Africa are getting married older. The median age of first-time brides was 33 years in 2023, five years older than in 2002 when new brides were 28 years old. Men are four years older, 36 years old compared with 32. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

There were 25,816 Airbnbs listed in Cape Town in December 2024. This is 2,798 more than in March 2024 and an increase of more than 5,000 since we first visited this topic in September 2023. At that time there were 20,583 listings. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

The deadline to eradicate all 'identified' pit toilets in South African schools is 31 March 2025. So how close are we to that goal? In yesterday's newsletter we looked at what we know and what we don't know: theoutlier.co.za/articles/hea...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

There are 14.45-million registered taxpayers in South Africa. They are divided into nine income categories by the National Treasury. Only 7.89-million of those registered have income high enough to be eligible to pay personal income tax theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

The biggest chunk of South Africa’s 2025/26 budget is going towards servicing debt — it’s been that way since the 2022/23 budget. As Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana noted in his budget speech, 22 cents of every rand raised in revenue is spent on debt repayments. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

SA's response to loadshedding has been quick, installing an estimated 6,178MW of rooftop solar power – equivalent to the capacity of two power stations. GP leads with 1,799MW of rooftop solar, KwaZulu-Natal follows with 811MW. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Working on the newest version of DataDesk: and finally this morning go around to fixing the SVG downloads. Look at the layer list in Figma: seems so simple to get everything labelled correctly but so useful when it's done.

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

South Africa receives millions of dollars in aid from the US government, primarily for HIV/Aids programmes. The US paid out $72-billion in aid in 2023 and $41-billion so far in 2024. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/90156

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

17 African countries reported over 1,000 cholera cases each in 2023 and 2024, with many outbreaks linked to or worsened by severe weather events. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Joburg is beset by water outages but the official notices are sometimes hard to understand. We made a tool to help you understand the water infrastructure in JHB. theoutlier.co.za/water

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Joburg has 12,300 people with assets worth +$1-million, the most of any city in Africa. 3 of the top 10 places with the most millionaires are in the Western Cape: Cape Town (7,400), the Cape Winelands (Stellenbosch) & the Garden Route. 🔗 www.theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/8…

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

The mobile technology in most parts of Africa is predominantly 2G & 3G. SA is in the process of retiring 2G & 3G, which were launched in 1991 & 2001 respectively. 4G connections, which launched in 2009, are expected to almost double by 2030. 🔗 www.theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/8…

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

We've been collecting data on the water infrastructure in Johannesburg to make is easier to see how particular water facilities are connected to suburbs. This is an early version of the tool which we will be adding more data to in the coming weeks: theoutlier.co.za/tools/view/j...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Of the 15.4-million school-going children in South Africa, almost two-thirds of them have to walk to school every day. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Gauteng residents spent significantly more on transport in 2024 than in 2017 according to a recent survey. The survey shows that in 2017, 12% of residents surveyed spent between R1,000 and R2,000 a month on transport. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Almost 45,000 grade 12 learners passed maths in 2024 with >60%, a requirement for anyone wanting to do a science, engineering or technology degree. Government set a target of 35,000 learners achieving 60% for maths in the National Senior Certificate exams by 2024. theoutlier.co.za/education/20...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Girls continue to outperform boys when it comes to bachelor passes in the South African grade 12 matric exam results and there are many more girls writing matric exams. Some experts are concerned boys struggling in the current education system? theoutlier.co.za/education/20...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

ICYMI: In 2023 Shoprite had a workforce of 153,726 employees, 60,000 more than Pick n Pay. By March 2024, its workforce had grown to more than 160,000. 🔗 www.theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/8…

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

South Africans who have moved to Australia are often highly educated: 43% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. One third (36%) of the SA-born people living there were working as professionals and 15% as managers, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 🔗 tinyurl.com/53hm8k5n

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

There are 2171 living languages in Africa. Kiswahili is one of them & is a lingua franca throughout East & Central Africa. Swahili developed over hundreds of years of trade between the Middle East & East Africa. Swahili is derived from the Arabic phrase ‘of the coast’ 🔗 tinyurl.com/5aprbuh7

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Almost 8-million people are living with HIV in South Africa, more than any other country in the world. Nearly 6-million people in SA are taking antiretroviral drugs. lnkd.in/dQbXZB8p

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Minibus taxis and private cars are the two primary modes of transport for people living in Gauteng, according to a province-wide survey conducted by the Gauteng-City Region Observatory. 🔗 www.theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/8…

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

A report on malaria in Africa predicts that, due to climate change, more people will die of the disease. SA’s malaria areas are in Limpopo, KZN & Mpumalanga near the borders with Zimbabwe and Mozambique. SA aims to eradicate malaria by 2030. 🔗 tinyurl.com/4sm73enn

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Learners at 287 South African public schools only have access to pit toilets. 174 of those schools are in the Eastern Cape. The Department of Basic Education had an initial target of supplying all schools with appropriate sanitation by the end of 2016. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/88628

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

Employees in Gauteng earn more than those in other provinces. Median earnings in Gauteng were R7,500 a month in 2022, which is R2k more than the median in the Western Cape, according to StatsSA’s 'Monthly Earnings in SA 2017-2022' report. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/89856

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

Access to ARTs has dramatically reduced HIV-related deaths, enabling people to live longer, healthier lives. Eight countries have reached 90% ART coverage for people living with HIV, but SA isn't one of them. 🔗 www.theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/9…

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Started reading Capitec: Stalking Giants by TJ Strydom. Interesting to read the history & see how the bank has challenged many unwritten 'rules' of banking. This chart on the closures of ATMs versus Capitec's growth is more evidence of this. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/88415

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Yesterday's newsletter was a special edition: my favourite data visualisation resources. A few years back I started a list of favourite tools and resources. Each year I update the list to add new resources, clear out older/defunct items: theoutlier.co.za/databites/20...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

Housing collapse: 82% fewer RDP/BNG houses were built in 2023/2024 than in 1998/99 Just 42,773 government-funded houses were built in South Africa in the 2023/24 financial year., an 82% decline from the 235,635 houses built 26 years ago in 1998/99. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/88257

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

This chart comparing CEO and lowest-paid worker salaries was one of our most popular charts in 2024: Woolworths’ CEO earns 1,308 times more than its lowest-paid worker. The average retail worker takes 630 days to earn what CEO earns a day. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/89318

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

On the road again: Most Gauteng residents fall in the lower socioeconomic class brackets and rely on minibus taxis. However, many say they opt for private cars when they can – either as drivers or passengers. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart...

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 02/01/2025

Female employees earn 25% less than men in South Africa. Women's median monthly earnings in 2022 were R1,200 lower than men’s. Women’s median earnings are only R800 higher than the minimum wage. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/89851

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Reposted by Alastair Otter

Zackie Achmat @zackieachmat.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

Just discovered a great resource. Want to understand data in Africa then you must follow @alastairotter.bsky.social - Alastair when will The Outlier get its own Sky account? #Data @groundup.org.za @pierredevos.bsky.social

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

Electricity use now costs old-age grant pensioners almost half of their grant per month. Typical use of 350kWh costs R1,043. An old-age grant is R2,180 a month. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/89046

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

Enjoying the gentle rain to start the year off.

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

There is a perception that charity, donations and aid from the Global North is what is keeping African economies afloat. Yet the combined aid and development assistance to Africa in 2022 was $37-billion less than remittances from African diaspora. theoutlier.co.za/charts/chart/89546

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

65% of Gauteng residents have never used an e-hailing service for transport and only 1.2% do so as their main form of transport. buff.ly/4gRIxVd

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Alastair Otter @alastairotter.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

Joburg Water, the city’s water utility, recorded 41 ‘unplanned maintenance’ issues in October and November, compared with only 20 planned ones over the same two months. Unplanned incidents, triggered by infrastructure failures such as burst pipes, affected over 160 suburbs. buff.ly/3BHm5iR

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