Minister Jeff Radebe, Minister in the Presidency, and the Statistician-General, Pali Lehohla, launched the enumeration phase of the Community Survey 2016 (CS 2016) today.

The launch was held at one of the 330 training venues where Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) is training more than 10 000 contract staff who will be deployed to collect information from more than 1,3 million households in every area of the country from 07 March to 22 April.

In his speech, the minister made reference to the fact that the Community Survey is bigger than any project Stats SA conducts outside of the census. In the 2007 Community Survey, 300 000 dwellings were sampled; CS 2016 will visit more than 1,3 million households.

The CS 2016 will use the Computer Assisted Paper Interview (CAPI) methodology, whereby data collection happens digitally via electronic devices, rather than the traditional paper method. The cost structure has been reduced from an average cost per household for a paper-based survey of R 2 000 to one that will cost R200; a tenfold reduction in cost because of use of technology.

Through the use of digital devices the quality of data will improve because of inbuilt controls in the electronic questionnaire.  The use of geographic navigation capabilities will ensure that fieldworkers enumerate houses that have been selected.

Using CAPI greatly reduces the turnaround time to release of results. Census 2011 results were released a year after the completion of data collection. CS 2016 results will be released by the end of June 2016, within two months of completion of data collection.

This improvement in turnaround time bodes well for the upcoming local government elections because citizens will be treated to objective data that talks to what has been delivered and what yet remains to be done – the citizenry will be able to make decisions based on this enormously helpful body of evidence, but more importantly they will know what they as citizens have to do in order to change their lives.

It also means that local municipalities will have the ability to plan based on data that speaks to the moment, rather than data that is seen to be outdated. The speed with which the data will be delivered can contribute to deepening our democracy.  Municipalities will deliver against constituencies that can hold them to account because of the almost instantaneous availability of these new data holdings.

Statistics should be embraced as a fundamental part of our democracy, a conduit of trust amongst citizens, amongst nations.  Statistics can help to improve the quality of democratic debate, by providing reliable indicators, vital for decision-making.

The Minister called upon all South Africans to rally behind the yellow team, Stats SA, as it combs the country in the quest to gather the golden fleeces, the statistics for our nation and brings to us and the world the South Africa I know the Home I understand.  Open up your doors and allow the team to come in.  South Africa counts because you count.

For more information on the survey please contact the call centre on 0800 110 248.