Statistics South Africa will continue to collect census data from households in the Western Cape until Saturday, 14 May.
The extension follows a strong response by residents of the province to the call to get counted.
According to Stats SA, data collectors will be visiting communities with low response rates across the province.
Almost 1,1 million households in the province have completed the census questionnaire since data collection began in February.
The Premier of the Western Cape Alan Winde has also indicated that 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.
Meanwhile, residents are urged to complete the questionnaire as it only takes 15 – 30 minutes. Stats SA has also further assured respondents that all personal information collected for the purpose of the census is kept strictly confidential.
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Picture: Twitter/@StatsSa
