The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Monday, August 10, 1992 — All is set for the national population census — and it will be more accurate and effective than the one 10 years ago. The director of the Central Statistical Office, Dr Gibson Mandishona, made this undertaking yesterday.

Speaking in an interview in Bulawayo, Dr Mandishona gave reasons for his high hopes of the success of the census. He said there were several positive factors in this year’s census which were absent 10 years ago.

First, the availability of data processing facilities will enable the initial information to be available by December this year.

“This year we have also pre-listed households, a move which will facilitate the task of the enumerators,” said Dr Mandishona.

Second, Dr Mandishona said, the census was being carried out without any external expertise.

He said this home-grown exercise was expected to cost $30 million. He explained that the figure had shot up from the $25 million mentioned last year because of the devaluation of the dollar.

The funds will be provided by the Government, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities and the Swedish International Development Agency.

Dr Mandishona noted that the census came at a time when the country was faced with a number of difficulties. He said some people had indicated it would have been better to put off the exercise until the drought was over, and use the funds for drought relief purposes instead.