The Premier of the Western Cape Alan Winde says the province could lose a substantial amount of funding if only 70% of residents get counted in the 2022 Census.
According to Winde If this were to happen, it would severely undermine the quality of health care and education services that the province provides, at a time when demand for services is most pressing.
“The funding is equivalent to 1615 doctors or 5981 nurses, and over approximately 9300 teachers if only 70% of residents get counted. In money terms, we stand to lose R9.7 billion, or over 16% of our provincial equitable share, if only 70% of residents get counted.
“This would shave R2.6 billion in funding off our health budget and R4.2 billion off our education budget, with smaller departments also suffering losses. In short, service delivery in the Western Cape will suffer a major blow across the board if residents do not make sure they are counted,” Winde said.
The Premier indicated that the implications of what could happen if the undercount persists should be deeply concerning to each and every resident of this province.
“In fact, as of 8 am this morning, with just 9 days to go until the count closes, Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) is not even within sight of a 70% count. They have counted just 61% of residents to date,” Winde added.
Winde further urges residents to get counted to get a fair share of the country’s budget allocation to deliver critical services like education and healthcare.
Get counted today:
- Completing the Census questionnaire when visited by an official StatsSA Census counter;
- Completing the Census questionnaire online: getcounted.statssa.gov.za.
- Contacting the Census call centre for any enquiries on 0800 110 248 or emailing [email protected]
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