AfriForum, Solidarity head to court to challenge govt ‘monopoly’ on Covid-19 vaccine
AfriForum and Solidarity are set to challenge what it believes to be government’s monopoly on the purchasing and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.
The trade union and lobby group have instructed their legal team to prepare a case against government.
AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl says the private sector should be allowed to purchase and distribute vaccines.
"AfriForum’s stance is that government cannot have a monopoly on deciding who receives the vaccine and who does not.
"Allowing the private sector to purchase and distribute Covid-19 vaccines would allow for better efficiency regarding distributing the vaccine to those who want it, to prevent abuse of power by the government, as well as to ensure that government incompetence or corruption does not derail the process.”
Van Zyl says the two organisations want to ensure that there is no abuse of power or corruption in the buying and distribution of the vaccine.
“Throughout the lockdown period the government has proven that when it has a monopoly on Covid-19 related policies and tasks, corruption and inefficiency tend to be rampant.
"AfriForum, therefore, seeks to prevent the potential abuse of government power as it relates to the buying and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, by fighting to allow the private sector to assist in this endeavour.”
