Pretoria - The results of the 2011 Census, which were released on Tuesday - 12 months of the survey was conducted - are accurate and can be used in policy formulation, the Statistics Council has said.
Head of the statutory body, Howard Gabriels, said: "We are satisfied with the results. They are accurate and are fit for use by all stakeholders."
The census, said Gabriels, was undertaken with national and international standards and in line with the requirements of the Statistics Act.
The Council had been monitoring the progress of the census and it had been assured of people's confidentially in response to answers in the census's questionnaire.
The Council also welcomed the improvement in the timelines with the release of the Census results. The census was conducted over the course of October last year.
"We are pleased that Stats SA has improved on the timeliness of the release of the final count, this has been achieved in a period of 12 months compared with 21 months 10 years ago and 24 months in 1996. This will contribute to the relevance of the census," said Gabriels.
The results released on Tuesday showed that South Africa's population has swelled from 40.5 million in 1996 to 51.7 million in 2011.
The census results were handed over to President Jacob Zuma this morning by the Statistician General Pali Lehohla. - SAnews.gov.za
