Stats SA ready to conduct the country's first digital population count
Image: Alon Skuy
Stats SA is ready to start counting the country's inhabitants from next month as the country embarks on the fourth post democracy population count which has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Deputy minister in the presidency Thembi Siweya and chief statistician Risenga Maluleke outlined Stats SA's preparedness to conduct the population count between February 3 and 28 which will see 165,000 fieldworkers deployed across the country.
Dubbed the country's first digital census, the count will see digital devices being used to collect date for the Census 2022. The last population count was done more than ten years ago.
Siweya said she was pleased with the work already done in preparation for Census 2022 which is important in informing the government's plans and projections.
She also acknowledged those who were involved in the mini-test in 2019/20; the Census trial in 2020 and most recently the Census pilot.
Siweya said those were important tests which will help Stats SA to successfully implement its first ever digital census.
She also indicated that three methods which involve telephone, digital computer-assisted counting and physical door-to-door will be used in conducting the Census 2022.
The population count was initially set to take place in 2021, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic it was postponed to 2022.
The last population count Census 2011 revealed that SA had a population of 51.8 million with Gauteng, the country's economic hub, as the most populous province.
Luqmaan Omar, Stats SA's chief director for data operations who heads the Census programme office, said some of the key innovations include the dash board reporting system which allows them to get a snap shot of the counting progress at any moment.
He said 90% of the field workers for the Census 2022 were currently in training and will soon complete their competency tests.
“There's targeted recruitment processes still under way... in summary we are ready for the main count,” Omar said.
Last month, Stats SA announced that the closing date for Census 2022 Recruitment Drive had been extended to January 31 to accommodate 2021 matriculants, who will received their results last week.