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CSO fails to release 2002 census figures
The Standard (Zimbabwe)
August 14, 2005

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/read.php?st_id=3060

BULAWAYO - THE Central Statistical Office (CSO) is yet to release the official 2002 population census results, making it difficult for planners to plan for the future.

This serious anomaly became apparent last week when John Henderson, the MD of the Zimbabwe Advertising Research Foundation, (ZARF) revealed that they were using outdated figures in their research work.

"We are still to get an update from the CSO. It must be affecting the research findings, it's bound to have an effect, but we have no option but to rely on the official 1997 population census results," Henderson said, at the launch the Zimbabwe All Media Products Survey (ZAMPS) second quarter results in Bulawayo.

ZARF is a foundation that produces quarterly research results mainly for media houses, companies and organisations that are into advertising. Acting Director of the CSO, Moffat Nyoni, told StandardBusiness that his organisation had the 2002 figures but had failed to publicise them.

"The results are available from our offices and the figures have not changed at all. We missed the schedule of holding publicity workshops where we go out to the provinces, invite stakeholders and go through the report and get feed back for future improvement," Nyoni said.

However analysts last week expressed concerns over the lack of openness surrounding the figures. They said, apart from being ill-equipped to produce accurate figures, the CSO had become politicised by the Zanu PF government with a view to manipulating the electoral system.

Felix Mafa, the chairman of the Post Independence Survivors Trust (PIST), said: "The truth is that the CSO is using archaic methods of research. They are afraid to publicise them because people will dispute them."

He added that the department was not only understaffed but used equipment that was obsolete and thereby incapable of coming up with accurate figures.

"They always underplay the population of other regions for political reasons. For example, there was a conflict over the Bulawayo population figures whereas Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe (UMP) had an inflated population figures. When they don't reveal the statistics, development patterns become distorted," Mafa said.

Opposition MDC spokesperson, Paul Themba Nyathi said it was difficult to plan ahead in the absence of accurate data.

"It's either the CSO is not adequately funded or it is facing political interference for the purposes of advantaging the ruling party. We live in a country that has many abnormalities," Nyathi said.

Echoing the same sentiments, National University of Science and Technology's (NUST), Oscar Chiwira, said developmental planning was difficult without accurate figures. He added that CSO produced outdated figures.

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