Research released by Ask Africa and GCIS on 12 September shows that 62% of South Africans are willing to take the Covid-19 vaccine. The finding is consistent with research by the University of Johannesburg and the Human Sciences Research Council, which found that most South Africans are willing to get the vaccine.
Despite the vaccine being available to all South African adults, uptake remains slow with just 20% of adults having received a first dose. The survey showed that while vaccine acceptance has generally improved in the country, just around half of White adults are willing to take the vaccine shots compared to 75% of Black adults. The vaccine sceptics cited concerns around side-effects for their resistance to get vaccinated and Health Minister Joe Phaahla has recently expressed concern over a low-vaccine uptake among men in the country; women accounted for 60% of the people vaccinated. The Newcastle Municipality has since launched an aggressive campaign, challenging all municipal staff including senior officials, to lead by example and get vaccinated against Covid-19. The campaign forms part of the municipality’s “I Got Vaccinated” programme, which is aimed at inspiring community members, in particular the youth, to receive their jab.
The decision is also informed by the fact that 97% of municipal staff work with members of the public on a daily basis. The campaign has yielded positive results as over 75% of staff are now fully vaccinated, including Mayor Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba, Deputy Mayor Reuben Molelekoa, the Speaker of Council Samke Yende and the Acting Municipal Manager Vish Govender. Mayor Mahlaba led by example when he became the first official at the municipality to receive his Covid-19 jab and said that the decision to get his vaccine is in line with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s clarion call for South African’s to vaccinate in a bid to achieve herd immunity. “As a municipality our main objective was to prevent municipal buildings from becoming Covid-19 epicentres as most staff work and interact with the public every day. We concluded that the best way to minimise the spread of the virus was to encourage our staff to vaccinate and lead by example, so that we inspire members of the public whom we work with. I strongly believe that taking the vaccine will bring us closer to achieving the national herd immunity which is necessary for us to fight the pandemic,” said Mayor Mahlaba, who received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine jab on 18 May.
Two months ago the municipal town hall was converted into a vaccination site, resulting in municipal staff flocking to the venue to receive their jabs. The Mayor emphasised the importance of having officials at government institutions to lead by example by vaccinating. He also lamented at the rapid rate at which unfounded and unscientific rumours about the vaccine were gaining traction, especially on social media. Mayor Mahlaba further challenged the youth of Newcastle to flood vaccine centres, so that the entire youth population would be immunised. A few weeks later, Deputy Mayor, Cllr Reuben Molelekoa also joined the campaign along with Speaker of Council and the Acting Municipal Manager. The 75% fully vaccinated staff took their experience further when they shared it on social media pages much to the delight of the public. Unfortunately, the municipality has already lost seven employees to Covid-19 during the second wave.
