This year marks the country’s first digital census to be conducted from Thursday, 3 to Monday, 28 February. The nationwide population count will be conducted through the telephone, digital computer-assisted counting, and physical door-to-door visits.
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) appeals to all communities to register for the remote online and telephonic data collection on their data-free registration platform, getcounted.statssa.gov.za, or through the Census 2022 toll-free contact centre on 0800 110 248 to ensure everyone is counted during the census.
Fieldworkers will visit households that request it, including those who don’t complete the online questionnaire, and those that did not register. The census was due to be conducted in October 2021 but was delayed due to disruptions caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic. It’s been a decade since the last population count in 2011.
The data produced in the census includes variables on demographic information, migration, mortality, fertility, agricultural activities, food security, health, education level, income, and household goods and services.
With less than a week to go, Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Thembi Siweya, is pleased with Statistics South Africa’s (Stats SA) state of readiness to conduct Census 2022.
“I am pleased that we can now have fresh data to help us with policy formulation and evidence-based decision making. Conducting a census is key as the census is the only source of small area data,” says Siweya.
Census Project Director Calvin Molongoana says his team is ready to oversee the implementation of all their processes to ensure a successful population and housing count.
“We want to ensure every individual in each living quarter is enumerated. This is the stocktaking of a country’s people, where and how they live,” Molongoana explains.
The distribution of working tools, tablets, and vehicles for fieldworkers continues in all areas, and Stats SA is finalising training fieldworkers.
There are still a few days left to join the recruitment drive that was extended to Monday, 31 January 2022 to give matriculants a chance to apply for the available work opportunities. Application for contract employment is only online at www.statssa.gov.za/hr.
Written by Brümilda Swartbooi
28/01/2022