Their bodies, their choice, UJ students protest against mandatory vaccination
AUCKLAND PARK – Demonstrators protesting against the institutions vaccination policy which they feel discriminates against those who choose to not get vaccinated.
University of Johannesburg (UJ) students could be heard chanting ‘away with mandatory vaccination’ as they gathered on the streets of Auckland Park for a peaceful protest on March 3.
Holding placards that read ‘fear is temporary, regret is forever’, ‘no medical apartheid’ and ‘I call the shots, it would be easy for many to label these protesters as ‘anti-vaxxers’ but as the protesters explained, this was a day that like-minded people gathered with the call to have medical freedom and to choose whether they wanted to be vaccinated or not. They said they were also fighting for those who have been vaccinated and their choice to do so.
A protester, postgraduate student Bianca De Canha said UJ had implemented a mandate that all campuses and facilities would be mandatory vaccination sites as of January 1.
According to her, the mandate allowed for two exemptions, those being either on medical or religious grounds. “But that does not allow for those of us who have no medical issues or religious exemptions,” she said.
“Essentially what this means is that we are now faced with not being able to continue studies in our various degrees across all faculties and there are many in their final year being affected.”
The protesters see this mandate as taking away their right to choose what they want to have put in their bodies for whatever the reasons may be.
“This vaccine policy does not align with what the government is saying and it does not align with what the government is advising, and is superseding our government laws. It is making sure that we do not complete the degrees we need in order to be able to have an income to support our families and advance in our lives, and it goes against our right for bodily integrity.”
As De Canha spoke, an excerpt of a speech given by President Cyril Ramaphosa in which he said no one would be forced to be vaccinated, was being broadcast.
Fellow protester Terrance Langa said the mandate infringed on their Constitutional rights. “They [UJ] implemented this vaccine policy without us participating in its implementation. We have to be included and add our take on the vaccination policy.”
The protesters handed over a memorandum to Godfrey Helani, UJ’s senior director of student affairs. The memorandum demanded a response from UJ to the protesters’ grievances within seven days.
Herman Esterhuizen, media relations for UJ said they had accepted the memorandum from the small group of protesters and would review its contents.
ALSO READ:
UJ students deliver memorandum against mandatory vaccination
