We are appealing to Statistics South Africa & all concern parties that the Census 2022 project has left some of its employees in limbo regarding the salaries. 

We are the ex-employees for Census 2022 (Statistics SA Project). It has been a long pull and push between us & the statistics south africa officials from FOOs, DCCs to Head Offices. 

The Census 2022 project started February 2022, recruited us for the counting of poeple and we signed contracts in different stages according to each ones recruitment period. Countinting started on the 2nd of February 2022 and was expected to end towards the end of February. Due to unfinished work Statistics South Africa extended our contracts, we signed those extention contracts via the HR portal on the tablets provided to us. 

From the first time payments alot of employees were underpsid and some not paid at all, we lodged complains and some were paid the following month and some were not still. Statistics South Africa kept extending the contracts until the completion of the census 2022 project. We waited for the overall payments on the 30th of April, some were paid and some were not, we were told that we will be paid the following week because they are using manual payment system. We waited, the day come, some were paid some were not. We were promised the following week again. It has been ever since a song to us, statistics south africa keep pointing following week. Amongst us there are still poeple were never paid even the first salary. Contracts ended April 2022. There are ongoing improper communications that are very worrying that led us to write this petition after we have exhausted all means. We believe that Statistics South Africa have a lot to explain to us. We need a fair explanation. There is a lot being said by our DCCs when we try reaching out. We the need truth, we need transparency and mostly we need our money.

   A lot of people has not yet been paid and according to the information we are told by some of the District Managers says, there are those who will not be paid because Statistics SA claims that they have overpaid others. There are a lot of issues with this matter:

• The issue of overpayment, we need the factuality of who was overpaid and why? How much is overpayment? We all know the days we worked and the daily rate.

• The issue of SARS. We have been told by our respective DCCs that money will be taxed by SARS, we need to know how much one need to earn to pay tax. 

• The issue of weekends work. We have bern working with no rest. Is labour law so silent about working on weekend? Our daily rate was flat R264.19 for all days.

• We are sinking to depression, we had plans for our salaries. Two weeks back we saw a post on Facebook by someone who is an ex Census worker pleading for a payment because her mother needed urgent medical attention and the only hope was the money Statistics SA owes to him. Some have lost their dreams as they hoped to do something with the money and it didn’t came at the right time, for some of us it has not come at all.

• The issue of outstanding balances for February, we were paid advances (which we didn't ask for) and after that we have to sign forms to get our remaining balances and some of us were not even told about these forms...now we have to travel back and forth to their offices for these forms and some of us stay very far and our taxis fee are very expensive. We keep borrowing monies for fruitless travelling only to be told to wait next week always. 

• Statistics South Africa do not have an acxatly straight explanation of what is happening. They have pointed many dates and when that date arrive, they point the following week.

1. We are tired,
2. We are hungry,
3. We are owing people,
4. We are losing opportunities we hope for. 
5. We beg for help

PAY US OUR CENSUS 2022 SALARIES!