Former President FW de Klerk has questioned why racial classification was still needed for Census 2011.
This after he needed to be enumerated on the last day of the census at his office in the Zeezicht Building in Tygerberg, on Monday.
Wearing his bright yellow census suit, Statistician-General Pali Lehohla called a media conference where De Klerk confirmed that he had been counted.
“I was overseas during the main days of the enumeration, but forms were left for me with a number I could call once I got back,” he said.
De Klerk said: “The information gathered shouldn’t be misused to reinstitute race in South Africa. The time has arrived for us put aside race and work together irrespective of your race or colour. We should not put people in boxes. There is a place for racial classifications, I’m not suggesting that we should ignore the reality of race in our country either.”
He pointed out that unlike fully transformed states, South Africa needed to improve the quality of delivery to everyone.
“The census is important, especially as a country in transformation. How else would we measure if things like backlogs have grown or decreased or if inequality is growing or decreasing and to fulfil promises and expectations that were put in place when we started as a democratic state in 1994.
“Looking at the costs involved in the general census the 10-year period is sufficient, but I do think there are so many trends that may influence politics.”
Lehohla said the census was a good reflection of how South Africa really functioned. He said plans were under way to compile the full results of the census which was expected to be released to the public by November 2012. - Cape Times