Universities Alliance SA prepares lawsuit over mandatory vaccine policies
Universities Alliance South Africa is against the vaccine mandates, which have been adopted by several institutions.
JOHANNESBURG - An organisation representing students and staff across South Africa is preparing a class-action lawsuit against several public universities over their mandatory vaccine policies.
Universities Alliance South Africa is against the vaccine mandates, which have been adopted by several institutions.
The policy requires all staff and students to be fully vaccinated to gain access to campuses and facilities.
While those who are unvaccinated are expected to produce a weekly negative COVID-19 test.
The alliance said this violates an individual's right to bodily autonomy and has described the policy as irrational, medically unjustified and unlawful.
Director of Universities Alliance Nathan Pillay has called for institutions to urgently reconsider and abandon their mandates by Tuesday failing which the alliance has threatened to take the matter to the Constitutional Court.
“Every person should decide whether or not to vaccinate based on their own individual risk profile. University vaccine mandates set an extremely dangerous precedent. If one throws caution to the wind and allows the constitutional rights of students and staff alike to be disregarded for the sake of a disease that presently poses little threat to their health, there is little defence against future and more invasive enchroachments.”
Just this week, students at the University of Johannesburg pushed back against the institution's vaccine mandate policy, while similar protest where seen at the university of the free state earlier this month.
