The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says his party will picket outside the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) headquarters in Pretoria on Friday next week, to demand that the Chinese vaccine and that of Russia be approved for use in South Africa.
He says the delay by government in driving the vaccination process is going to cost a lot of lives.
He was addressing EFF members at the Hoërskool Uitsig in Centurion, Pretoria, commemorating the June 1976 student up-risings.
He says should they not be happy, they will stage a sit-in at the house of SAHPRA CEO, Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela until their call is heeded.
“After picketing there next week Friday, they have seven days to approve the Russian vaccine and the Chinese vaccine, failure to do so, will do stage sleep in at the house of the CEO of SAHPRA until they protect us, it is personal
like that.
We are going to her house, we want her to approve Sputnik and Chinese vaccine to add on what we have now.”
Meanwhile South Africa’s COVID-19 cases amid the third wave has broken the 13 000 mark.
The Health Department says 13 246 cases were reported overnight, which represents a 21.7% positivity rate.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, this is the highest number of daily cases and positivity rate since January.
The country now has 1 774 312 coronavirus cases since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020.
Hundred and 36 new fatalities were reported overnight, taking the total national death toll to 58 223.
