Headlining the release of South Africa's Census 2011 results

Abstract

The release of the results of Census 2011 by the South African Statistician General was widely reported in the press. This was a deliberate strategy to publicise the census and raise public awareness of the statistics, not only at the level of national planning but also as a means of promoting the individual's identification with the local and national communities to which he or she belonged. The newspapers emphasised four particular issues, racially based income disparities, inter-provincial migration, levels of service provision and personal identity. In providing new data-sets, the census illustrated the state of national development and the enormous and persistent divides within society. The widespread dissemination of the results by the press may be regarded as a successful extension of the view that popular participation in the census, at all its stages, is a nation-building exercise and essential for the ultimate success of the enterprise. This extended over a decade from the initial consultations concerning contents, through the actual enumeration and completion of the questionnaire, to an awareness of, and identification with, the results.

Keywords::

• South Africa
• census
• press conference
• newspaper headlines
• nation-building

Acknowledgements

The financial assistance of the National Research Foundation towards the costs of this research is hereby acknowledged. The opinions expressed in this article and the conclusions arrived at vare those of the author and are not necessarily to the attributed to the National Research Foundation.

Notes

^1. The conduct of the census in 2001 cost R970 million. In 2011, it had risen to R3.4 billion.

^2. A few titles did not present coverage. Some, for example SoccerLaduma, were specialised newspapers catering for specific requirements. Others, for example Son op Sondag and Sunday World, were weekend or Sunday titles complementing daily titles, which had covered the topic and duplication was not considered necessary.

^3. Municipal statistics were released on the Statistics South Africa website: http://interactive.statssa.gov.za/superweb/login.do

^4. Thus the account in the most widely read newspaper, Daily Sun, followed its headline with a summary of the national and some provincial population figures, population/race group, age, education, household services (including water, sewerage, electricity, housing conditions) and migration, with its implications for finances. In addition, a statistical highlights section, with graphics, showed population growth, population group, home language, education (2001 and 2011) and percentages of households with a flushing toilet, piped water, electricity, radio, TV, computer, fridge, phone and cellphone (Daily Sun 31 October 2012, p. 2).

^5. Translation, original in isiZulu.

^6. Translation, original in Afrikaans.

^7. On the radio programme ‘The Forum@Eight’, hosted by Xolani Gwala, on SAfm (31 October 2012), the Statistician General did recognise, in response to popular criticism, that this omission was ‘a mistake’. This was a clear recognition that popular curiosity was still a factor which needed to be taken into account when drawing up the census questionnaire. In Botswana, the census commissioner succumbed to popular pressure and included the topic although it ‘might not have any direct benefit or contribution to socio-economic developments in the country’ (Botswana 1995, p. 423).