The census
provides a wealth of information that will impact significantly on the planning of a
better life for all South Africans. For the first time in a quarter of a century, the
census reached out to South Africans in every part of the country. Stats SA is confident
that South Africa now has accurate figures concerning the composition of its population.
The Statistics Council, an independent statutory body constituted of experts and
community representatives, which is responsible for overseeing the quality of statistics
in the country and the census in particular, recommended to the Minister of Finance that
the results of Census ’96 be officially adopted.
The census project began in October 1996, when a hundred thousand enumerators
fanned out across the cities, towns, townships, informal settlements, villages, farms and
rural areas of our country to record the details of people living in more than nine
million households. Homeless people, hostels, prisons and other institutions were also
visited to ensure a comprehensive count.
Census ’96 applied a uniform method for the collection of the enormous mass of
information. Households were visited and details obtained about all its members from a
representative, who was either interviewed, or else filled in the questionnaire, in the
language of that person’s choice. The data were entered into computers in the ensuing
period, and adjusted for undercount. |