MEDIA STATEMENT                                                                        25 January 2022

Stats SA to undertake nationwide Census in eight days

Statistics South Africa outlined the country’s state of readiness to undertake a population and housing census at a media briefing in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Deputy Minister in the Presidency Thembi Siweya visited Stats SA’s head office at Salvokop and received a briefing on the state of readiness to conduct Census 2022 from the Statistician-General, Risenga Maluleke, and Census 2022 project director Calvin Molongoana.

Stats SA is set to conduct a nationwide population and housing census from 3 to 28 February 2022. The census was due to be conducted in October 2021 but was delayed due to disruptions caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The Census 2022 project is set to showcase Stats SA’s new technological advances as it leaps into a new era of digital data collection.

This is South Africa’s fourth population count post-democracy and the country’s first digital census where at least 165 000 fieldworkers will be deployed across the country to count everyone within the borders of South Africa.

“We recruited our fieldworkers via online methods only and we will use only digital devices to collect data for Census 2022. Remote data collection is available, which should help those who want to do self-enumeration to participate from anywhere and at their own convenience (within remote data collection timelines),” said Mr Maluleke.

“It has been over 10 years since we last conducted a census in 2011. Census 2022 offers the country an opportunity to collect, compile and publish updated demographic, economic and social data for all persons in a country,” said Mr Maluleke.

Deputy Minister Siweya was pleased with Stats SA’s state of readiness when she visited the statistical agency’s head office.

“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,” said Ms Siweya.

National and Provincial training of permanent staff concluded by 13 January 2022 while virtual district training across the country commenced last week 18 January. Distribution of working tools i.e. tablets and vehicles continues in all areas.

The data produced in the census includes variables on demographic information, migration, mortality, fertility, agricultural activities, food security, health, education levels, income, and household goods and services.

As Stats SA gears up to collect information on the socio-economic circumstances of everyone in the country, Ms Siweya said urged all social partners to get behind the Census 2022 project.

Stats SA is finalising training of field staff and has set up a call centre to assist everyone to get counted.

Census Project Director Molongoana said his team was ready to oversee the implementation of all their processes to ensure a successful population and housing count.

“We want to ensure that each individual and each living quarters are enumerated. This is the stock taking of a country’s people, where and how people live.

Felicia Sithole, Cell: 076 430 0693, Email: Felicias@statssa.gov.za

For media inquiries contact: Lesedi Dibakwane, Cell: 082 805 7088, Email: lesedid@statssa.gov.za