About 19 per cent of South African households live in government-subsidised homes, and another 13 per cent are waiting for one, the national statistics agency said.

South Africa has spent billions of dollars to provide housing to the poor, but the government’s annual general household survey showed that the portion of households living in shacks has remained steady at about 13 per cent since 2002.

Despite building millions of homes since apartheid, when blacks were forced to live on the edge of cities, housing remains a massive pressure on the state.

The country’s 2011 housing budget was increased by 38 per cent to €2.3 billion.

But authorities still regularly battle protests in shanty towns by destitute black residents angered by rampant joblessness and poor amenities like water, toilets and electricity.

The survey by Statistics South Africa found that government has expanded access to basic services, but that the public is increasingly unhappy about the quality of those services.

The percentage of homes with access to electricity rose from 76.8 per cent in 2002 to 82 per cent last year. Homes receiving piped water also rose from 78.2 per cent to 84.1 per cent over the same period.