Census material confiscated from striking workers

Police have confiscated 89 boxes of census questionnaires from striking workers in KwaZulu-Natal, a Statistics SA official said on Wednesday.

"Police swooped on five homes in the Durban area on Tuesday night, targeting homes of field workers and supervisors refusing to hand in questionnaires," spokesman Sivuyile Mangxamba said.

Census workers in Durban downed tools on Monday, complaining that they were paid less than their counterparts in other provinces. Stats SA denied the claim.

The workers withheld completed questionnaires, using them as leverage to demand more money.

Mangxamba said three census field workers were suspended by Stats SA after the raid. He said no one had been arrested.

Mangxamba said the statistician-general, Pali Lehohla, had asked the police to help to recover thousands of completed census questionnaires.

He said they would not hesitate to institute criminal proceedings against field staff who withheld questionnaires.