Pretoria - The public should not be concerned at the sight of Census enumerators sitting in groups on the country's streets, says Statistician-General Pali Lehohla.
Speaking at a Post-Cabinet media briefing on Thursday, Lehohla addressed public concerns that enumerators were sitting in groups on the streets and "cooking" up answers to questionnaires.
"We have about 20 000 four person units across the country and their office is the street. So when you see them congregating together and working together it is because they are looking at the questionnaires, as they got them from households.
"They are not starting to write things that come out of their heads. The streets are their offices...so you don't have to worry too much about that," he said.
Census 2011 had got off to a good start and by day four on Thursday, it was going well, Lehohla added.
Cabinet noted that in the spirit of nation building everyone had to be counted and accurate information provided. This information will be used to plan service delivery and make decisions that will impact the lives of South Africans.
"Those who have already participated have reported their satisfaction with the process and professionalism of the enumerators," Cabinet spokesperson Jimmy Manyi said.
A comprehensive plan to prevent and combat Census-related crime and corruption had been put in place, he added.
Cabinet was "saddened" by some reports of people posing as enumerators and stressed that enumerators could be identified by their yellow bibs and satchels with the Census and Statistics South Africa logo.
