Current census count disaster could mean 1615 fewer doctors or 5981 fewer nurses, and 9 300 fewer teachers

5 May 2022: The Western Cape could lose funding equivalent to 1615 doctors or 5981 nurses, and over approximately 9300 teachers if only 70% of residents get counted in the 2022 Census. This is according to approximate projections by the Western Cape Provincial Treasury. If this were to happen, it would severely undermine the quality of health care and education services that we provide, at a time when demand for services is ever more pressing.

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.

The implications of what could happen if the undercount persists should be deeply concerning to each and every resident of this province, as it is to me. 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.

While we have seen increases in the number of persons counted, the numbers remain too low. To put it simply, if we only manage to count 70% of the population, the available spending per person would be reduced by more than R1 300 per person per annum in the provincial equitable share.

If we do not get an accurate census count for our province, we may have fewer resources available to deliver services well into the future, which would impact each and every resident. This is a major risk, which we must avoid.

I reiterate my appeal to residents to use the extended Census count period in the Western Cape to get counted. It’s simple – if we are not fully counted, we will not get our fair share of the country’s budget allocation to deliver critical services like education and healthcare, For You.

Get counted today. It is easy to do, and this can be done by:

• Completing the Census questionnaire when visited by an official StatsSA Census counter;
• Completing the Census questionnaire online: getcounted.statssa.gov.za. I encourage you to share this link on your social media accounts, WhatsApp groups or emails. You can also play your part in helping others to get counted; or
• Contacting the Census call centre for any enquiries on 0800 110 248 or emailing census2022@statssa.gov.za.