The resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the yellow bib that the man was wearing did not have the census logo on it and was old. His identity card was also old.
The resident sent him away and warns George citizens to be careful before letting anyone into their homes.
Make sure that you identify census officials who knock on your door by the following:
- A yellow satchel with the Census and Stats SA logos;
- An A3-size book with a map of the area on the first page;
- A yellow bib with the Census and Stats SA logo;
- A black cap with the Stats SA logo;
- An ID card with a hologram of the Census 2011 logo (SA map with the words "You Count" below it).
If anyone comes to your door claiming to be a census official and asks you for information such as your ID number, banking details, etc. they are not part of the census process and should be turned away immediately.
Preferably pencil
Another resident complained that a census worker insisted on completing the census form with a pencil. He wanted to know if it was legal.
Lindy Langenhoven, Stats SA’s Eden district manager, said the forms should preferably be completed in pencil. "If a mistake is made, for example if a cross extends outside a block, the scanner will not pick it up and the information is lost. A black pen is allowed, but we recommend that it be done in pencil as far as possible. That is also how our census officials have been trained."
