Ramaphosa must show leadership on vaccine rollout to avoid corruption – SACP

The ANC-led alliance political council is due to meet on Wednesday, the same day president Cyril Ramaphosa called a National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) meeting.

The South African Communist Party (SACP) deputy secretary Solly Mapaila told the media that the vaccine rollout and acquisition would be discussed at the meeting.

“We want [the] vaccine to be available for the people and [for the] public good. We want this vaccine to be rolled out and we should use all effort in South Africa to acquire the vaccine,” he said, adding that South Africa needed to interface with countries that had already developed the vaccine, such as trading partners China, Russia and Cuba.

The alliance’s meeting comes after the governing party’s biggest partner, Cosatu, accused health minister Zweli Mkhize of napping in the face of the deadly pandemic and questioning government’s proposed Covid-19 vaccine rollout strategy.

The SACP said Ramaphosa must “show leadership” on the rollout of the vaccine and prioritise coordination through his office to combat possible corruption and competition.

Herd immunity

Mkhize briefed the nation on Sunday, announcing that at least 67% of the South African population would need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to ensure herd immunity.

The vaccine was expected to be rolled out in three phases, with the 1.25 million healthcare workers in the country having first access.

The second phase would see essential workers and those living in congregate spaces, such as care centres and prisons, offered the vaccine.

Those classed as essential workers included miners, teachers and police officers. The second phase, which would require roughly 16 million doses, would also include those aged 60 and older as well as those with comorbidities.

The third phase would see the vaccine being made available to an additional 40 million people.

With the Covid-19 death toll in South Africa surpassing the 30 000 mark on Monday, the NCCC meeting was expected to be dominated by talks of the vaccine.

“South Africa’s own participation in the Covid-19 programme with World Health Organisation (WHO) is important because it also draws on our own scientists.

“We will be urging our government through even this process tonight to explore the capability that we have through our own state institutions, our own vaccine production within the public sector to expand that sector, to fund that sector because we are living in an age of viruses. The state capacity to respond becomes vital in that regard,” Mapaila said.

During the virtual commemoration of former struggle stalwart Joe Slovo, the party also committed to play its part in forging a broad global left campaign for the equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said the campaign must seek to challenge the dominant profit logic driven by big pharmaceutical companies.

“We want to welcome the stance by the WHO to make the Covid-19 vaccine a global public good, rather than a profit driven imperative.

“In our country the government should ensure that the production and sourcing of the Covid-19 vaccine is not subordinated to private wealth accumulation interests.

“There must be no space left to corruption and state capture, old or new, in the sourcing of the Covid-19 vaccine, as in every government programme, department and public entity,” Nzimande added.

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