Chronicle Editor
Yoliswa Dube-Moyo, Mat South Bureau Chief
THE Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) has concluded its national sensitisation programme at provincial level and will soon start engaging chiefs and headmen in the country’s districts to spread awareness about the census.
The meetings are in preparation for the country’s census in April next year and marginalised communities are being targeted in the census mapping exercise to ensure that no citizen is left uncounted.
Speaking during a census sensitisation meeting in Gwanda last week, Mangwe District Development Coordinator
Mrs Rolisang Makhurane, who was representing Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Abednico Ncube, said the census is an event of national importance.
“It will provide us with key information on population and housing, allowing us to understand population demography and dynamics. The census data also provides us with vital information for monitoring and evaluation of various socio-economic policies such as the National Development Strategy 1,” said Mrs Makhurane.
She said being equipped with knowledge of how the population is changing helps in planning social service delivery.
“For example, how many schools to build, where to locate health facilities, how to allocate our resources and identify those who need help the most in our society. The 2022 National Population and Housing Census is a huge exercise which needs everyone’s support. I am appealing to everyone in Matabeleland South province to play their part in ensuring an accurate and successful census,” she said.
Zimstat Public Relations Manager Ms Mercy Chidemo said the meeting was held to sensitise members of the Provincial Development Committee about the impending 2022 Population and Housing Census in terms of the progress made so far, census methodology to be used, census timelines and the census publicity plan.
“In areas along the borders where people don’t have connectivity, we will use targeted messaging like employing the use of police hailers, flyers in the local language and community outreach programmes, among other methods,” said Ms Chidemo.
She said chiefs wield a lot of influence in their communities and they will massively help aid the process.
“You know how much power chiefs wield in their communities. At provincial level we were basically meeting with government officials. We’re testing our instruments; our questionnaire, our gadgets and everything. The pilot census is going on until this coming Saturday. Once we’re done with that and we see how much we’re progressing, what needs to be done or corrected, we’ll then immediately resume meetings to sensitise communities so that no one is left behind,” she said. – @Yolisswa
Online Reporter