Pretoria – Deputy President David Mabuza has appealed to South Africans to open their doors for Census 2022 field workers who are descending on communities to collect population and housing data.
Mabuza made the remarks after being enumerated on Wednesday as part of the Census 2022.
"We implore on South Africans to open their doors and allow the Stats SA field workers to conduct the census so that we are clearer about the make-up of our country,” said Mabuza.
He said the Census 2022 would assist government with long term planning, evidence-based decision-making and equitable resource allocation.
Last week, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) announced that the country’s digital population count kicked off on Wednesday night with the counting of the homeless, transients, special dwelling institutions (SDIs), hotels and populations in communal living structures in the country.
That marked the first leg of the month-long population count, which is followed by field worker visits to households from Thursday last week to collect census data.
“Census 2022 comes at a time when the world is reeling from the aftermath of Covid-19, which makes the need for statistical data on our population and their living conditions more urgent than ever. This will assist in advancing our efforts towards improving the lives of our people”, Deputy Minister in Presidency Thembi Siweya said as the census kicked off.
Census 2022 introduces remote data collection methods, which can either be online or by telephone. These platforms add to the traditional method of face-to-face data collection that will still be the main mode of data collection.
Households were required to register by February 5 to select the remote data collection option.
Field workers will visit households that did not register and those that register but don’t complete the census questionnaire for remote data collection.
As Census 2022 fieldworkers make their way households across the country to collect data, they can be identified through the official Stats SA identification card displaying the Stats SA logo, the photograph of the fieldworker, and a unique number of the fieldworker.
Residents can also contact the Census toll-free number (080 011 0248) to verify the authenticity of fieldworkers, or go to the Stats SA website and click on the “Field Staff” tab.
Stats SA said Covid-19 protocols would be observed by fieldworkers during their visits
Respondents who select to be interviewed telephonically will be supplied with the details of the interviewers assigned to their respective areas prior to the date of the interview. The interviewer’s identity is also available on the Stats SA website on the Field Staff page.
Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke said the unique use of technology in Census 2022 follows three years of meticulous planning.
“This is indeed a momentous occasion as we finally set off to count the nation following protracted planning that started three years ago. What is unique about Census 2022 is our deliberate use of technology in our operations, planning processes and also our multi- modal approach to data collection,” said Maluleke.
Section 16 of the Statistics Act (Act No. 6 of 1999) makes it compulsory for community members to participate in a Census and cooperate with Stats SA fieldworkers by responding to the census questionnaire.
Although Stats SA advocates for continued cooperation and engagement, the Act also make provision for penalties to be levied against those who refuse to provide data for statistical purposes.
The Information Regulator has confirmed that the data collection activities of Stats SA, including Census 2022, are compliant with the provisions of the Protection of Personal Information Act No.04 of 2013 (POPIA).
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