Pretoria - Despite some hiccups, preparations for Census 2011 are on track, says Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).
Stats SA spokesperson Trevor Oosterwyk said although a census is a logistical nightmare for any country, the mammoth task of training 120 000 fieldworkers will kick-off across the country from 24 September to 2 October. Three hundred venues will be used for the training.
"We have experienced some teething problems in areas of recruitment and supply chain logistics, as any operation of this magnitude would do," said Statistician-General Pali Lehohla on Monday.
This comes after a report on Monday that there were several problems, including a lack of cars and posters, before the national census kicks off next month.
Stats SA said it had not received vehicles from service providers on time and had experienced problems in the recruitment and listing of dwelling units.
Stats SA is confident that all the required vehicles will be available when the counting starts on 10 October 2011.
"The logistics of a census do not only strain the resources of the organisation, but those of service providers as well," said Lehohla.
Some of the vehicles the agency did not receive on time were 400 4x2 vehicles needed in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, where the terrain is often inaccessible.
President Jacob Zuma has urged South Africans to participate in the 2011 census, saying it will help to build a legacy for the country's children. He also asked citizens to open their doors to enumerators. - BuaNews
