Johannesburg - The National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) has recommended the implementation of mandatory vaccinations in workplaces while also adding that access to certain venues should be allowed only to those who are vaccinated.
This was confirmed by Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi on Tuesday morning.
Nxesi said that part of Nedlac’s recommendation was that access to certain venues, gatherings and events, particularly in the hospitality sector, should be restricted to vaccinated people only.
“The Nedlac social partners represented in the Nedlac Rapid Response Task Team believe that the promotion of vaccines remains the most significant intervention to prevent further spread of Covid19 and lockdowns.
“While the social partners believe that vaccine mandates will pass constitutional scrutiny, they support the work of BUSA to get a declarator from the Constitutional Court in the New Year,” Nxesi said.
Meanwhile, in his weekly “From the Desk of the President” column, on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that South Africa now had sufficient supplies of vaccines and that there were vaccine stations set up in every part of the country.
“As every day passes, and as infections rise, the reasons to get vaccinated become more compelling, and the need becomes ever more urgent.
“Vaccines are safe, and like all other routine vaccinations we received as children and against diseases like measles, they offer the most potent form of protection available,” Ramaphosa said.
He added that vaccination was essential for the country’s economic recovery because as more people are vaccinated, more areas of economic activity will be opened up.
“We can do our work and socialise under less stringent restrictions, and our lives can return to some degree of normality.
“As individuals, we must carefully consider the implications of the risk to ourselves of being unvaccinated and the risk of spreading the infection to our children, parents, relatives, co-workers and those we do not even know,” Ramaphosa said.
On Monday, telecommunications giant MTN Group said that it would be enforcing mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for its employees from January.
samkelo.mtshali@inl.co.za
Political Bureau