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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Chronicle Reporter

THE Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) yesterday started a five-day census mop-up exercise to visit households that were skipped during the initial data collection exercise that ended on Saturday.

The 2022 Population and Housing Census ended on April 30 after having run for 10 days.

The exercise is a key informant of the country’s vision of becoming a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society by 2030 and the results will provide critical information that informs policy formulation.

Census preliminary results are expected in three months after the completion of the exercise.

ZimStat deployed a high-tech data collection system, the Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), which transmits data collected by enumerators over the internet to a central mainframe in real-time.

Previously, it took the national statistics agency up to two years to collect and process data before producing the final Census Report.

The statistical agency has previously said members of the public who will not have been counted during the exercise should make an effort to contact ZimStat through its toll-free numbers 08080580 and teams will visit them.

In an interview yesterday, ZimStat public relations and communications manager, Ms Mercy Chidemo said they were now conducting the mop up exercise up to Thursday.

She said during the period enumerators will be concluding the data collection process in their enumeration areas.

“We are now conducting a five-day mop up exercise which runs from 1 to 5 May.

During this period enumerators will be doing what is known as call backs.

Enumerators will be attending to households that were missed out on various reasons for example where an enumerator went to a household but there was no one,” she said.

Ms Chidemo said enumerators will also be attending to households that were skipped during the initial data collecting process.

“There are also cases whereby maybe an error has been noted in the data which was collected, so the enumerators might have to go back to the ground,” she said.

A Chronicle news crew in Gwanda spoke to enumerators on their experiences while conducting the census.

Clothed in their ZimStat regalia which includes T-shirts, caps and vests and identity cards dangling from their necks, the enumerators have become a regular sight over the past days.

The exercise was a full day’s job for them as they start as early as 6AM and end at 5PM with some going beyond that time order to cover much ground.

Census enumerators braved the cold weather and heavy showers as they moved from one household to the other.

While they faced ups and downs during the course of the exercise, the  enumerators are proud to have been at the forefront of the exercise which is of great national significance.

As Mr Zibanani Mwale (46) moved around Spitzkop North Extension Suburb in Gwanda conducting the exercise, he noted that the elderly were most cooperative.

There were mixed reactions from other people, others thought they were being investigated, others thought they would receive something from the enumerators after being counted.

Mr Mwale said some people work and it was difficult to find them at their homes in order to collect information.

As a result, he was forced to visit some homes as early as 6AM in order to catch the heads of households before they left for work.

Mr Mwale said they were each given maps which demarcate their enumeration areas. He said the major challenge he faced is mixed feelings from people.

“The experience of being an enumerator has been an eye opener for me.

It has helped me to sharpen my communication skills. The questions that we have been asking participants have broadened my knowledge on various topics.

The Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) system has really assisted to make our work easier as enumerators,” he said.

 

“The process has a lot of questions and recording the information manually was going to be taxing.

My area of expertise is research in Mathematics and Statistics so I found the CAPI system really convenient for me.

In addition to the CAPI system which is in the tablets that we are using, there is also a manual which we have been referring to.”

He said while the harsh weather made it difficult for them to do their work, it also helped to ensure people remained in their homes.

“People had mixed views about the exercise with some thinking that they will receive something while others thought that we were investigating them. Others at first told me point blank that they didn’t want to be part of the exercise.

At one house I visited the owner shut the door in my face. I had to wait outside for some time until he calmed down and then I spoke to him and explained the whole process and how important it is.

After extensive engagement he finally cooperated,” he said.

Another enumerator, Ms Siqhubekile Moyo (46) from Gwanda said the training she received prior to the exercise helped improve her technological skills. She said she was delighted to have been selected as one of the enumerators.

Ms Moyo said patience, perseverance and humility were the main characteristics that helped her throughout the exercise.

She said some of the questions were sensitive and needed a diplomatic approach to avoid offending people.

Mr Awakhiwe Moyo (28) said as a youth he was pleased to be one of the people to make this historic exercise a success.

He said he realised the importance of being an enumerator and the huge role that they had to play in making the 2022 Population and Housing Census a success.

He said the exercise has improved his knowledge on various issues affecting communities such as child marriages, unemployment and others.

Mr Moyo said some people at first thought the exercise was political but he explained to them that it was development-oriented. He said some people felt that the questions were plenty and repetitive.

“In order to get people on board I first explained that the questions were plenty as the purpose of the exercise was to have a detailed account of all members of households.

I also explained that some questions could seem repetitive but the sections would be different.

I also told them beforehand that some questions could seem sensitive. This really helped to ensure people were patient and cooperated,” he said.

Mr Moyo said the training he received prior to the exercise helped him in dealing with various situations. He said they were equipped with social, communication as well as technological skills.

Ms Nothando Ncube who enumeration area was Ntepe said awareness campaigns that were conducted by ZimStat helped to make their work easier.

She said most people in rural areas had heard about the exercise and they were waiting for them.

Ms Ncube said others confirmed to have received news on the exercise from community leaders. She said she did not face many challenges as people cooperated.

“Seeing that my enumeration area is in rural areas I had to simplify the questions as much as possible. My experience as a teacher helped to make the task easier,” she said.

At the beginning of April, ZimStat conducted awareness campaigns through roadshows across different provinces to educate people about the importance of the census.

While Zimbabwe has conducted a population census at 10-year intervals since 1982, this is the first time the country is conducting a housing census.

The housing census seeks to establish the quality of life of Zimbabweans.

In line with the Census and Statistics Act, Chapter 10:29, all information collected during the Population and Housing Census enumeration exercise is confidential and will be used to statistical purposes only.

@DubeMatutu