Cape Town - More South African households own televisions than they do refrigerators, according to 2011 Census, released on Tuesday.
Of the 14.5 million homes around the country, almost 10.7 million have a TV, while 9.9 million have a fridge.
According to the document, more than 12.8 million households have a cellphone, 11.1 million have an electric or gas stove, and 8.6 million own a DVD player.
There are relatively few households that own a washing machine (4.6 million), and fewer still - 2.5 million - with a vacuum cleaner.
A total of 4.3 million households own a motor vehicle.
The census, a snapshot of the situation in the country at midnight on October 9 last year, found there were 3.7 million homes with satellite television, and 3.1 million which owned a computer.
A substantial 9.4 million households have no access to the Internet - not at home, at work, via cellphone, or elsewhere.
“Altogether, 35.2 percent of households have access to Internet, and 64.8 percent do not,” the document states.
Of the more than 14.5 million dwellings in South Africa, by far the majority are brick houses or concrete structures, according to Census 2011.
According to the document, there are 9 384 030 “house or brick/concrete block structure on a separate stand or yard, or on a farm” dwellings across the country.
There are also 1.1 million homes, including huts, made of “traditional materials”. Most of these are in KwaZulu-Natal (483 296) and the Eastern Cape (476 285).
A table included in the census shows there are also 720 327 flats or “apartments in a block of flats” around the country, with most in Gauteng (280 396), KwaZulu-Natal (167 301) and the Western Cape (125 372).
More than 1.2 million households in South Africa are recorded as “informal” dwellings, including squatter camps. Most these are in Gauteng (434,075) and the Western Cape (191 668).
The total does not include the 712 956 “backyard” shacks around the country.
Another table shows there are 20 689 dwellings where plastic has been used as “wall material”, and 60 979 such cardboard structures. There are also 1.6 million built from corrugated iron.
A surprisingly high number of families live in caravans and tents; a total of 14 439 around the country.
Of the 14.5 millions homes in South Africa, almost six million are listed as “owned and fully paid off”; 1.7 million are “owned but not yet paid off”; 3.6 million are rented; and 2.7 million are “occupied rent free”.
A breakdown by population group shows 4.9 million black people own homes which are fully paid off, compared to just over half-a-million whites, 415 940 coloureds and 119 457 Indians or Asians. - Sapa