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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter

PREPARATIONS for the 2022 Population and Housing Census are on track with Government urging congregants to remain at their houses during the census period to ensure the smooth conduct of the exercise.

Institutions of higher learning will be closed from April 18 to 30 to pave way for the enumeration of students at their respective homes.

The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) has put in place all necessary measures to ensure every place and person is counted during the 2022 Population and Housing Census which runs from April 21-30 with all-terrain vehicles now available to get enumerators into the most remote areas.

Provinces like Matabeleland North are largely rural and communities sparsely located and difficult to reach because of poor road and mobile network coverage with parts of Binga along the Zambezi River sometimes left out of some national programmes because of inaccessibility.

Besides the terrain and poor roads, Matabeleland North is largely a mobile province because of many tourism resorts, meaning many people always move from one place to the other.

In his post Cabinet briefing yesterday, ICT, Postal and Courier Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere said preparations for the 2022 Population and Housing Census, are on course.

The census is held in terms of the Census and Statistics Act, which requires that it be held every 10 years.

“Cabinet wishes to inform the public that preparations for the 2022 Population and Housing Census are on track, with Levels 1 and 2 training having been completed in March 2022.

Cabinet highlights that the bulk of the personnel is drawn from the teaching fraternity, youth and other civil servants from the security sector,” he said.

“Church members are similarly encouraged to be at their places of residence between 18 and 30 April to allow the smooth conduct of the census.”

Minister Muswere said the closure of the institutions will pave the way for the enumeration of students in their usual households.

“To avoid collective or institutional households, Cabinet advises the nation that all institutions of higher learning will be closed from 18 to 30 April, 2022,” he said.