Human Rights Commission to monitor govt plans for vaccine passport
The South African Human Rights Commission says it will monitor government’s plans to introduce a so-called vaccine passport.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday that government was looking into vaccine passports for certain events to control Covid-19 infections.
The commission’s chairperson Bongani Majola says at this stage the commission cannot make any pronouncements on the passports due to a lack of information.
"If the vaccination passport says ‘I will be prohibited to going to my local clinic’, taking away that right would be a violation of human rights. But if the passport says one cannot get into a tavern unless you have the passport, what rights do I have to go the tavern unless of course the right to be unfairly discriminated against.”
Majola says government would have to prove the passports do not unfairly discriminate against people.
"The hype about vaccination passports is a bit confusing because between different countries there is already vaccination passports, if you travel to East Africa, most won't let you in unless you show you have been vaccinated for yellow fever, South Africa has the same for those traveling from East Africa," added Majola.
The commission has urged South Africans vaccinate voluntarily.
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