Government has made additional allocations to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) to finance the 2021 Census.
“Additional allocations of R37.1 million in 2018/19, R145.3 million in 2019/20 and R855 million in 2020/21 have been made to Statistics South Africa for the 2021 Census,” said the 2018 Budget Review document.
This as Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba tabled the 2018 Budget in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Census 2021, which will be undertaken by Stats SA, will make use of an internet-based platform.
The census will require the purchase of about 165 000 specialised tablets linked to cloud-based servers, with communications on secure mobile infrastructure, at a cost of about R750 million.
The technology is expected to improve data quality and collection rates, and to allow for real-time monitoring and supervision.
“Quicker results will support timely, evidence based policymaking. Statistics South Africa estimates that the new technology and methods for the Census will cost R3.4 billion,” said the Review.
Further to this, about 150 000 fieldworkers will be employed.
2019 Elections
Meanwhile, Minister Gigaba said preparations for the 2019 elections are on schedule.
“The challenges relating to the address harvesting and to record proper addresses of eligible voters as prescribed by the Constitutional Court are being resolved and will be concluded in the first quarter of the 2019 financial year,” he said.
In June 2016, the Constitutional Court handed down an order stating that the Electoral Commission must have a record of addresses for all registered voters. The Constitutional Court gave the Electoral Commission until June 2018 to update the voters’ roll with all available addresses.
The Electoral Commission will on the weekend of 10 and 11 March 2018 open its voting stations for all eligible voters to update their details.
The voting stations will be opened to assist new voters to register to vote, allow already registered voters who have moved since they registered to reregister in their correct voting district and allow registered voters whose address details are not on the voters roll to provide their information. - SAnews.gov.za
