Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) No change to census date: Moyo

No change to census date: Moyo
09/08/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE’S fourth national census will still go ahead on August 17 and 18 despite a decision by ministers to temporarily suspend the count on Tuesday. Cabinet halted the recruitment and training of enumerators on Tuesday after chaotic scenes at training centres countrywide.

Zanu PF and the MDC-T traded accusations, each claiming the other was trying to use the process to canvass. The MDC-T also objected to troops being used as enumerators. But Acting Finance Minister Gorden Moyo insisted on Thursday that the census would still go ahead – although no date has been announced for the resumption of training.

“No training will take place until further notice, but we would want to assure Zimbabweans that the census will be held according to the SADC and United Nations standards. We have stayed true to the process in 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2012 is no different,” Moyo said.
The minister said members of the security forces including the police and army were unlikely to play a role in the count.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party claimed earlier this week that Zanu PF planned to hijack the census “to force a delimitation of the constituencies that would increase seats in areas they think they dominate”.

Conversely, the state-run Herald newspaper claimed the MDC-T “sought to hijack the process for political reasons and was averse to having members of the security forces taking part for fear of exposure”.

The government is spending US$37 million on the census with 30,000 census takers set to knock on every door. Data gathered is to be used for the delimitation of constituencies ahead of elections next year that would end Zimbabwe’s shaky coalition ­government.

Labels: JONATHAN MOYO

posted by MrK @ 4:29 PM