South Africa’s population grew by 10% from 1996 to 44,8-million in 2001, according to the results of the latest census released in Pretoria on Tuesday. The figure in 1996 was 40.5-million.
Census 2001 revealed a 2,2% drop in the percentage of the population under 14 years of age, and a 0,1% increase in those 65 and older, according to data released by Statistics SA.
Gauteng had the largest population increase with 20%, followed by the Western Cape with 14%. The Eastern Cape and Free State each had growth of less than three percent, while the Northern Cape experienced a drop of 2,1%.
These changes could be partly explained by migration from largely rural to more urban provinces, Stats SA said.
KwaZulu-Natal had the largest population with 9,4-million, followed by Gauteng with 8,8-million. The Northern Cape had just over 800 000 inhabitants.
The census found that one in three South Africans aged 20 or older had not completed primary school or had no schooling at all. Those who completed high school increased from 16,3% in 1996 to 20,4% in 2001. Those with a higher education qualification increased from 7,1% to 8,4%.
Nearly three-quarters of households had a radio, well over half had a television, and just over half a refrigerator. Fewer than 10% had a computer. Less than two percent of black-headed households had a telephone at home, compared to 46% of white-headed households. Twelve percent of black-headed households had a home telephone, compared to the national total of 24%.
A further two-million had only a cellphone, and 1,1-million had only a fixed line phone in the home. Almost 670 000 households had no access to a telephone or cellphone.
The Western Cape (63,1 %) and Gauteng (56,1 %) had the highest proportion of households with a telephone in the home and/or a cellphone. Limpopo (28 %) and the Eastern Cape (29 %) were at the bottom of the range.
”The much-spoken-of ‘digital divide’ is evident in the fact that less than two % of black-headed households had a computer, as opposed to 46% of white-headed households,” said a summary of key results. ”Similarly, only 12% of black-headed households had a telephone in the home, as against the national total of 24%… Twice as many African-headed households had cellphones (25%) as had fixed-line telephones.”
Four out of five South Africans were black, the census found. A total of 8,2% of the population spoke English at home — a drop from 8,6% in 1996. Nearly a quarter of the population gave isiZulu as their home language.
The percentage of people speaking mainly Afrikaans at home dropped from 14,4% to 13,3%. – Sapa