Soldiers To Conduct Census In Cantonment Areas

Members of the security sector, who include the police, soldiers and members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) will be involved in the 2022 Population and Housing Census alongside teachers and ZANU PF youths.

Addressing a post-Cabinet media briefing in Harare on Tuesday, Acting Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Jenfan Muswere, said:

Members of the security forces were recruited to cover cantonments areas that civilian enumerators cannot enumerate for security reasons.

Recruitment of security forces will not jeopardise the exercise as they are enumerating people in their barracks. (They are) enough to cover the cantonment areas.

Zimbabwe Statistics Agency (ZimStats) spokesperson Mercy Chidemo said the security forces will conduct the census in cantonment areas. Said Chidemo:

Members of the security forces were recruited to cover cantonments areas that civilian enumerators cannot enumerate for security reasons.

Recruitment of security forces will not jeopardise the exercise as they are enumerating people in their barracks. (They are) enough to cover the cantonment areas.

The census is expected to run from April 21 to 30, 2022. Teachers have traditionally been recruited as enumerators, but this year thousands were sidelined as punishment for boycotting classes over poor salaries when schools opened for the first term on 7 February.

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