OMG, you will be jailed if you refuse to be counted for Census 2022!
Don't make the mistake of refusing to be counted or else...
The census is held every 10 years where the data of each individual in every household is collected - and it has just become stricter!
South African citizens should not even think about refusing to be counted...
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You will face up to six months’ imprisonment or be liable for a R10,000 fine, according to the head of Stats SA in Limpopo, Nthambeleni Mukwevho.
This a result of the R20-billion project, which is expected to see about 160,000 field workers counting the population from February 3 to 28. This project kicks off on the night of February 2, when the homeless will be counted.
The census goes online for the first time this year, so South Africans are urged to register online.
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The assigned field workers will use digital devices to capture data in real time for a reduced turnaround time, then the information gathered will be used for the profile of the country’s population and its living conditions.
So, it is not the usual door-to-door this time so why would you refuse to be counted?
Mukwevho shared: “We can lay a charge for breaking the laws of the Constitution, and perpetrators could be sentenced to six months or pay a R10 000 fine. That would be the last option because we have no time to waste laying charges. Police will go to citizens’ houses to arrest them if it comes to that."
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There were arrests during the previous census in 2012. So cooperation is important and ideal in ensuring that we get the country's data in check.
Mukwevho said the census was imperative for the government in terms of equitable distribution of resources. “For example, when government has to grant financial allocations to municipalities, they have to go according to the number of people who are residents under that particular municipality."
You don't want to be arrested for something this small, let's just get counted, ok?
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