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Cape Town - Statistics South Africa is ready for Census 2011, project director Calvin Molongoana said on Monday.
Briefing the media in Parliament ahead of Statistics South Africa's budget vote, Molongoana said it was ready to count the population between October 10 and 31 this year.
"We know where we had our errors in 2001, we are ready this time around," he said.
National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel said it was very important for the public to allow enumerators into their homes.
A census gives authorities an accurate demographic makeup and socio-economic data without omission or duplication. Apart from individuals, the focus is on collecting data on housing characteristics and services.
Statistician General Pali Lehohla said 156 000 enumerators would be combing the country.
One enumerator would cover about 150 households, and enumerators had to cover more than 14 million households in the country.
"It is a mammoth task. We need a high level of participation from the people," Lehohla said.
He said R2bn would be spent on the Census with 60% of that figure being used for salaries or wages.
Chair of the South African Statistics Council, Howard Gabriels, said R2bn had been set aside because the census was the "biggest mobilisation that took place in the country".
Besides equipment and administration costs, Statistics SA had to go to every household in the country rather than getting people to come to a certain point.
He said Stats SA was aware of certain challenges enumerators could face when trying to gain access to a home and talks were underway with bodies corporate, leaders of agricultural communities as well as bodies representing immigrants to make them aware of census officials and to make the jobs of enumerators simpler.
Gabriels said it was sometimes easier to gain access to a home in a rural area or a village than a home in a gated community or block of flats.
"Often in rural areas people feel honoured to complete the questionnaire... and contribute to the country.
"[However] males in their early or mid-20s is a difficult to reach group because they don't necessarily come home every night," he laughed.
There was also the challenge with people who owned holiday or coastal homes because they would probably be living elsewhere in October.
Gabriels said all these factors had been taken into account and Stats SA would ensure that the census was as accurate as possible.
Lehohla said enumerators would be introduced to the people in the areas they would be covering through posters.
They would be easy to identify, dressed in bright yellow clothes and carrying ID cards.
Enumerators, posted in dangerous areas, would be accompanied by police.
Conducted once in 10 years, Manuel said the census was very important and urged people to participate fully.
The results would be published by November 2012.
Manuel said the other areas the Statistics South Africa budget vote on Tuesday would focus on was the producer price index (PPI) and the consumer price index.
Manuel said the reworked PPI would be ready for implementation by January 2013.
The index had to be re-engineered because the basket of sample products was inadequate and there was a need to expand the list of respondents per product.
If the PPI was to provide an accurate reflection of price trends in the economy it had to be representative of the products in the value chain.
Briefing the media in Parliament ahead of Statistics South Africa's budget vote, Molongoana said it was ready to count the population between October 10 and 31 this year.
"We know where we had our errors in 2001, we are ready this time around," he said.
National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel said it was very important for the public to allow enumerators into their homes.
A census gives authorities an accurate demographic makeup and socio-economic data without omission or duplication. Apart from individuals, the focus is on collecting data on housing characteristics and services.
Statistician General Pali Lehohla said 156 000 enumerators would be combing the country.
One enumerator would cover about 150 households, and enumerators had to cover more than 14 million households in the country.
"It is a mammoth task. We need a high level of participation from the people," Lehohla said.
He said R2bn would be spent on the Census with 60% of that figure being used for salaries or wages.
Chair of the South African Statistics Council, Howard Gabriels, said R2bn had been set aside because the census was the "biggest mobilisation that took place in the country".
Besides equipment and administration costs, Statistics SA had to go to every household in the country rather than getting people to come to a certain point.
He said Stats SA was aware of certain challenges enumerators could face when trying to gain access to a home and talks were underway with bodies corporate, leaders of agricultural communities as well as bodies representing immigrants to make them aware of census officials and to make the jobs of enumerators simpler.
Gabriels said it was sometimes easier to gain access to a home in a rural area or a village than a home in a gated community or block of flats.
"Often in rural areas people feel honoured to complete the questionnaire... and contribute to the country.
"[However] males in their early or mid-20s is a difficult to reach group because they don't necessarily come home every night," he laughed.
There was also the challenge with people who owned holiday or coastal homes because they would probably be living elsewhere in October.
Gabriels said all these factors had been taken into account and Stats SA would ensure that the census was as accurate as possible.
Lehohla said enumerators would be introduced to the people in the areas they would be covering through posters.
They would be easy to identify, dressed in bright yellow clothes and carrying ID cards.
Enumerators, posted in dangerous areas, would be accompanied by police.
Conducted once in 10 years, Manuel said the census was very important and urged people to participate fully.
The results would be published by November 2012.
Manuel said the other areas the Statistics South Africa budget vote on Tuesday would focus on was the producer price index (PPI) and the consumer price index.
Manuel said the reworked PPI would be ready for implementation by January 2013.
The index had to be re-engineered because the basket of sample products was inadequate and there was a need to expand the list of respondents per product.
If the PPI was to provide an accurate reflection of price trends in the economy it had to be representative of the products in the value chain.
