Johannesburg – The Acting Minister of Health, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has appealed to citizens to give space to the South African Health Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to do its work.
“Attacks directed at the leadership of the institution are disappointing and reprehensible,” the South African National Department of Health said in a statement.
“Our country’s regulatory system should not be forced to bow down to any amount of political pressure, particularly, to authorize the use of vaccines at a whim without due process being followed. This is dangerous and should not be condoned in democratic South Africa,” it further stated.
This comes after thousands of Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) supporters marched to SAHPRA’s offices in Pretoria yesterday to demand that the vaccination rollout programme be sped up.
“The targeting of SAHPRA by political parties is unfortunate and threatens the mandate and authority of the regulatory authority and experts tasked with ensuring the safety of newly developed health products for the wellbeing of all.”
“The regulator has consistently outlined to the public processes that need to be followed before the registration and approval of any vaccines to be used as part of governments efforts in the fight against Covid-19. This cannot be done in the absence of any clear information about the efficacy of products that have not undergone rigorous testing by the regulator,” the department further said.
Police said that a criminal case will be opened against the EFF for the protest in Pretoria for the contravention of Disaster Management Act regulations.
Also read: Watch: Thousands of EFF members protest during deadly third wave
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