AN ACCURATE NATIONAL CENSUS 

The national census, which is currently underway, is much more than a simple counting of heads. In many respects it is like a ten-yearly check-up to see how we are faring as a nation.  In South Africa, the national census plays an even more important role than it does in most other countries.

This is so, in the first place, because of the increasing role that race is playing in our national affairs arising from the implementation of demographic representivity.  In terms of this ideology, ownership of the economy and of land as well as control, management and employment in the public and private sectors should ultimately reflect as closely as possible South Africa's racial composition.

Government Departments have all developed detailed manpower strategies in terms of which employment and promotion will be strongly influenced or determined by the percentages of the population represented by each of our racial groups. Thus, the Department of Correctional Services has recently begun to apply an official policy in terms of which coloured employees in the department are being systematically cut back to 9% - their share of the national population - including employees in the Western Cape where coloured South Africans comprise a 55% majority.

The racial percentages that will be revealed by the 2011 Census will accordingly play a significant role in the future employment and promotion prospects of South African citizens - particularly those who wish to make a career in the public service.

For that reason it is important that the statistics that the Census produces should be as accurate as possible - and that they should preferably not be subject to a significant error factor as was evidently the case with the 2001 Census.

Another reason why the Census is especially important in South Africa is because it presents us with an opportunity to measure the progress that we have made since 2001 in promoting equality and in assuring a better life for all our people.

One of the greatest problems in measuring progress with the promotion of equality is the absence of reliable statistics. There are various factors in terms of which equality can be measured; firstly, income levels; secondly educational levels and thirdly levels of employment and unemployment among our various population groups.

Thus, for example, white South Africans comprised 24,5% of the 5,2 million people who according to the 2001 census had matric as their highest qualification.  Whites also represented 43% of the 2,15 million South Africans with post-matric qualifications. At the same time, 70% of whites had the same, or lower qualifications, as 5,1 million South Africans of other races.

White incomes were, however, much higher than those of other races and - according to the Census - comprised 69% of the group with monthly incomes of more than R 6 400.  However, 1,19 million black, coloured and Indian South Africans earned the same, or higher incomes, as 1,1 million whites (i.e. 54% of white employees).

Whites also fared considerably better than other groups in the sphere of employment. According to the 2001 Census 28,1% of the black population between the ages of 15 - 65 were unemployed while only 27,8% were in employment. In other words - there were more black South Africans in the age group without jobs than those who were employed. By comparison, only 4,1% of whites were unemployed while 61,4% in the age group had jobs. 

Other statistics that emerged from the 2001 Census were equally interesting: for example, 18,7% of the black population was at that time still living in traditional housing while 20,4 % lived in informal dwellings. Also, there were only 225 000 citizens of other African countries living in South Africa.

The 2011 Census will enable us to determine how these and other key statistics have changed since then.  The information will show what progress we have made in addressing inequality and in providing basic services to all our citizens. It will inevitably raise questions over continuing racial inequality: to what factors can the continuing advantage of many whites be ascribed; - but also why whites with lower educations and lower incomes should automatically be regarded as being privileged when competing with millions of better qualified and richer people from other communities.

We need reliable statistics to ensure that our national debate on such key issues is conducted in a fair, balanced and informed manner. For all these reasons, the F W de Klerk Foundation calls on all involved to support the 2011 Census and to ensure that it will provide us with as accurate a picture as possible of the state of our nation 17 years after its establishment. 

Dave Steward is Executive Director of the FW de Klerk Foundation

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