“The first, the most powerful, tool we have is vaccination,” President Cyril Ramaphosa told the nation on Sunday, during what was lauded as among his best efforts since he started giving such addresses after the arrival of Covid-19 in early 2020.
He went on to emphasise what has been displayed in studies and experience across the world, which is that vaccines work and have saved lives, dramatically reducing severe illness, hospitalisation and death for those infected with the virus.
While the official numbers say just under 90,000 people have died from Covid-19-related illness in SA, the Medical Research Council’s estimated number of excess deaths is about three times that. Those of us who lost loved ones and colleagues before SA launched its public vaccination programme in May 2021 were rightly angered by the amount of time the government took to ensure supply.
Many will still look back and wonder if a mother, brother, sister or child lost in one of the previous waves of infections — especially the devastation seen in the 2021 winter months — could have been saved if the vaccines had arrived just a month or two earlier. More than 25-million vaccine doses have been administered since then.
But the reality is that SA needs to do a lot more, and quicker. Minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele writes that in addition to the loss of life, “few South Africans have been spared its economic impact, through the closure of small businesses and the loss of jobs” and argues that we have to act as we prepare for a fourth wave of Covid-19.
Also writing in Business Day, Martin Kingston, the vice-president of Business Unity SA, argued that the fourth wave will be here soon, and he made a strong argument for mandatory vaccination.
Contrary to what some unionists believe, this isn’t about the government forcing anyone to get a jab but ensuring that work and other places where we gather are safe.
PSG Group CEO Piet Mouton put it more bluntly a couple of months ago while advocating lockdowns for the unvaccinated. That time has arrived, with SA already suffering devastating consequences from the arrival of new variant Omicron.
South Africans who are willing to do the right thing to safeguard the economy and health of fellow citizens should now be free to go about their activities, be able to go watch cricket or soccer, gather at places of worship, travel on aeroplanes without, as Kingston puts it, unvaccinated people entering those spaces and poking a hole in their protection. Academics from Australia estimated that the increased risk of infection from an unvaccinated contact is as much as twentyfold.
The nonresponse from the entertainment, retail and liquor industries has been disappointing, as they will most likely be the first ones to cry foul when there is a new ban on alcohol sales, for example. What stops Pick n Pay, Shoprite or Massmart showing leadership now and saying they won’t sell alcohol to the unvaccinated? Businesses shouldn’t be passive observers, and then play victim when drastic measures have been introduced.
Discovery has provided real leadership, and seen results, with the rate of vaccination among its staff jumping to 94% in the three months since it announced plans to make jabs compulsory, from about a fifth.
While there seems to be a growing consensus on the issue, at least between big business and the government, South Africans will be disappointed by what many regard as the “curse of Codesa”. Ramaphosa should just do what needs to be done. There is no need for more task teams and endless debates. If your house is burning, you don’t hold a summit with neighbours to see who’s going to get the water.
Since it has started, it’s crucial that the process is expedited at Nedlac. Every day of delay translates into lives lost. If needs be, business and the government should leave the divided labour movement behind. History will not look kindly upon them if they fail to protect the lives and livelihoods of their members.
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