Voorsitter, agb Minister, agb lede, en lede van Statistiek SA, betroubare en geloofwaardige statistiek vorm een van die steunpilare van 'n doeltreffende demokrasie. Amptelike, betroubare statistiek is die bousteen van 'n oop en deursigte regering vir doelmatige openbare administrasie en vir die doeltreffende werking van die ekonomie en die samelewing. Statistiek voorsien die wyer gemeenskap van inligting, ontledings en advies vir beter besluitneming, om debatte te verryk en navorsing te stimuleer.
Die finansiering van Sensus 2011 is 'n belangrike onderdeel van die begrotingspos wat vandag gedebatteer word. Aangesien 'n belangrike bevolkingsensus in Oktober vanjaar as Sensus 2011 onderneem word, is dit verstaanbaar dat di besondere finansieringsprogram 'n prioriteit in Statistiek SA se begrotingspos is. Hierdie moderne sensusstatistiek is hoogs verfynd. 'n Sensus is hoegenaamd nie 'n moderne konsep nie, en ons weet dat daar reeds in Keiser Augustus se tyd 'n sensus onderneem is.
Menslike kapitaal is die belangrikste aspek van enige samelewing. Ten einde 'n numeriese profiel van die bevolking saam te stel, is dit nodig dat vrae ten opsigte van ouderdom, geslag, opvoeding, beroep, ekonomiese aktiwiteite en ander belangrike eienskappe, asook ten opsigte van behuising, toegang tot water, beskikbaarheid van noodsaaklike geriewe, ensovoorts, gevra word. Die staat moet toegang h tot die krities belangrike inligting vir die vorming van beleid en die neem van besluite.
Inligting soos die grootte, aard, ligging en bevolkingsamestelling is onontbeerlik by die beplanning van sleuteldienste en is noodsaaklik vir opvolgingsmonitering. Data wat tydens die sensus ingesamel word, fasiliteer die mening oor die impak wat vorige beleidsrigtings en programme op sosio- ekonomiese en demografiese ontwikkeling gehad het. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Ms P E ADAMS: Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members and members of Statistics SA, reliable and credible statistics constitute one of the pillars of an effective democracy. Official, reliable statistics are the cornerstone of an open and transparent government to ensure efficient public administration and the effective functioning of the economy and society. Statistics provide the wider community with information, analyses and advice for better decision-making, in order to enrich debates and stimulate research.
The funding of Census 2011 is an important component of the Budget Vote that we are debating today. Since an important population census is being undertaken in October this year as Census 2011, it is understandable that this particular funding programme is a priority in the Budget Vote of Statistics SA. This modern census statistic is extremely sophisticated. A census is by no means a modern concept, and we know that a census was undertaken as far back as the time of the Emperor Augustus.
Human capital is the most important aspect of any society. In order to compile a numeric profile of the population, it is necessary to ask questions in respect of age, gender, education, occupation, economic activities and other important aspects, as well as regarding housing, access to water, availability of essential facilities, and so forth. The state should have access to this critically important information in order to shape policy and take decisions.
Information such as the size, nature, location and composition of the population is indispensable for the planning of key services and is essential for follow-up monitoring. Data collected during the census facilitates the view of the impact that previous policies and programmes had on socioeconomic and demographic development.]
A census plays an essential role in public administration. Census information becomes a demographic, population and economic baseline that informs planning, monitoring and evaluation in all three spheres of government. The results are used to ensure equity in the distribution of government services, distribute and allocate government funds among various regions and districts for education and health services, reach the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, and to measure the impact of industrial development, to name a few.
Census information is also invaluable for use in the private sector for activities such as business planning and market analysis. To achieve this, the data has to be accurate and relevant. A population census is a complex and massive undertaking. Any minor oversight in the planning of pertinent activities could lead to costly inefficiencies in operations and seriously compromise the validity of the results derived from the data collected in the census. Hence, all possible measures are put in place to ensure the achievement of maximum economy when conducting various operations, while a balance is struck between the information that is required and its utility and the cost of collecting, processing and using that information. A census is an exercise that is too expensive to repeat or to result in collecting irrelevant data.
'n Bevolkingsensus is die mees omvattende en ingewikkelde statistieke onderneming wat in Suid-Afrika onderneem kan word. Di ontsaglike administratiewe, menslike en logistieke taak behels dat die hele land gekarteer en in 106 opnamegebiede afgebaken moet word. Elke adres in die staat moet gelys word. 'n Geweldige aantal opnemers moet gemobiliseer en opgelei word en 'n omvattende publisiteitsveldtog moet onderneem word. Dit behels dat alle huishoudings se deelname gewerf moet word en dat 20 miljoen vraelyste gedruk moet word, dat individuele inligting ingesamel word en dat daardie ontsaglike hoeveelheid inligting wat versamel is uiteindelik ontleed word sodat die verwerkte data beskikbaar gestel kan word.
Die beplanning van die sensus, die opbou van die kapasiteit en die voorbereiding van die stelsels sedert 2001 sal kulmineer in die vul van 156 000 veldposisies wat bestaan uit 6 000 veldwerkkordineerders, 30 000 toesighouers en 120 000 opnemers wat 14 miljoen huishoudings landwyd gaan besoek. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[A population census is the most comprehensive and complicated statistical undertaking that can be conducted in South Africa. This immense administrative, human and logistical task involves mapping the whole country and dividing it into 106 areas to survey. Each address in the country needs to be listed. A tremendous number of census staff need to be mobilised and trained and a comprehensive publicity campaign needs to be undertaken. This requires canvassing the participation of all households and printing 20 million questionnaires, collecting information on individuals, and ultimately analysing that immense amount of information collected so that the processed data can be made available.
Planning the census, building the capacity and preparing the systems since 2001 will culminate in filling 156 000 fieldworker positions comprising 6 000 fieldwork co-ordinators, 30 000 supervisors and 120 000 enumerators who will be visiting 14 million households countrywide.]
The Budget Vote supports spending over the medium term by focusing on expanding the statistical database. Thus, funding for the Census 2011 project and the national statistic system as a strategic priority is central to this Budget Vote. At R1,7 billion the population census subprogramme is the largest component of the Stats SA Budget Vote for the 2011-12 financial year.
Unlike in previous censuses, the government has approved the creation of a permanent structure for population censuses, the rationale being to ensure continuity and institutional memory. One can then rightly ask why permanent positions have not been created and skilled persons appointed in these positions to give effect to the President's call that decent employment opportunities should be created?
Pre-1994, there was no reliable information available around the country as a whole. In 1996, the newly elected ANC-led government conducted the first population census. Census 2011 will therefore be the fourth census to be carried out since the dawn of democracy. The data collected in the previous censuses have been extensively used in evaluating the impact of policies and programmes.
Census 2011 is therefore critical in the ANC campaign to create a better life for all by creating better communities, and in its programme to eradicate poverty. In addition, the major focus of the ANC for 2011 is job creation, and the data emanating from Census 2011 will assist in identifying new job- creation possibilities across sectors.
'n Sensusopname is 'n gewigtige en uitdagende onderneming. Dit vereis die samewerking van uiteenlopende politieke, ekonomiese en sosiale groepe. Die belangrikheid van die betrokkenheid van belanghebbendes in die opeenvolgende fases van die program ten einde hul eienaarskap en verantwoordbaarheid te verseker, is kritiek en kan dus nie onderskat word nie. Die lesse te leer uit die sensus in 2001 is dat die belanghebbendes se betrokkenheid in die ontwikkeling van inhoud beperk was terwyl publisiteitstrategie nie oor al die fases van die sensus gestrek het nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[A census survey is a serious and challenging undertaking. It requires the co-operation of diverse political, economic and social groups. The involvement of stakeholders in the consecutive phases of the programme in order to ensure their ownership and accountability is of critical importance and should consequently not be underestimated. The lessons to be learnt from Census 2001 are that the involvement of the stakeholders in the development of content was limited, while publicity strategies did not extend over all phases of the census.]
The success of Census 2011 does not only depend on how the various activities are implemented and monitored but also relies greatly on governance bodies, which enhance efforts of the teams that are mandated to execute the activities. It is in this regard that a variety of oversight bodies, including Parliament, the provincial legislatures, and local government, will be required to assist by promoting the programme.
Each Member of Parliament must carry the message of the importance of this event into their constituencies and encourage them to take ownership of the programme to ensure that better coverage is achieved and high-quality data is collected. People must be assured that all individual data collected will be treated as strictly confidential and used exclusively for statistical purposes.
Census 2011 is set to provide the most comprehensive picture of the South African society and economy in the postapartheid era. It is designed to assist the ANC-led government to improve the lives of all our people, because every person in South Africa counts. South Africa, my home. South Africa, I know. The ANC supports Budget Vote 13. I thank you. [Applause.]