A new organisation called the Religious Forum Against COVID-19 has been launched in KwaZulu-Natal. The forum wants to address the concerns some religious groups have raised around COVID-19 vaccinations.
Member of the inter-faith collaboration and President of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha, Ashwin Trikamjee says they want to address vaccine hesitancy and to encourage South Africans to get vaccinated.
“VaxuMzansi is a campaign routed on that we are positive agents for change and the change of course is that we want our people to vaccinate and to get at least 70% of the people across the country,” says Trikamjee.
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Meanwhile, the Anglican Archbishop of Southern Africa Thabo Makgoba has confirmed that vaccination will be mandatory for Anglican clergy. This comes after the Provincial Synod passed a resolution on Friday that its clergy should be vaccinated.
Makgoba says two experts from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases and the Coronavirus Advisory body made presentations on vaccination which contributed to their decision.
He says they also had a debate that lay Anglicans should seriously consider vaccination too.
The synod met from Tuesday until Friday to discuss and debate various socio-economic challenges, the effect of COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy.
Makgoba says there was a general feeling that vaccination was important for clergy as they are in the frontline of giving pastoral care to communities, congregants and the vulnerable.
Religious leaders launch a campaign to encourage people to get vaccinated in KwaZulu-Natal
