University of Johannesburg Is the Latest University to Implement Mandatory Vaccinations, Mzansi Disappointed

• The University of Johannesburg will be joining a number of other universities in South Africa that have imposed compulsory vaccinations
• The university says the new policy will apply to all people making use of the university, including students, visitors and staff
• South Africans are for the most part not happy with the vaccine mandate and have expressed disappointment in the university's decision

JOHANNESBURG - The University of Johannesburg has joined a long list of higher education institutions in South Africa that will require members of the public to be vaccinated to gain access to its facilities.

UJ's council held a meeting on 25 November, 2021 to discuss mandatory vaccination and resolved that students, post-doctoral fellows and staff members will have to present their proof of vaccination at all campuses.

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The policy will also apply to visitors, contractors and stakeholders, according to News24. The university says it will try to balance the rights of individuals with the rights of the collective, however, the rights of the collective take precedence, meaning the rights of individuals may be limited.

The university says it will consider medical and religious grounds for exemption from the vaccine requirement.

The university says it has taken into consideration the socioeconomic status of students and decided that it was paramount to ensure that students gained access to all facilities, and vaccination would help achieve this objective.

UJ also noted that some interactions will require in-person engagements. The vaccine mandate will kick in January next year, according to BusinessLIVE.

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Here's what social media users have to say about UJ's new policy:

@hlabane_g said:

"It's obvious University of Johannesburg is asking for students protests in 2022. I foresee @SAPoliceService & @GovernmentZA facing lawsuits, assaults & killings charges in late 2022. @go2uj #vaccination #VaccineSideEffects #VaccineMandate #vaccine."

@Martins19864106 said:

"This is not fair because some religions and cultures don't believe in vaccines."

@TERRENC53565477 said:

'Nobody or students are against vaccines. We will only take vaccines when are told of what could be the long term health effects if we are mandated vaccines while variants keep on mutating which variants are we vaccinating for? Immunisation is important but it should not be imposed."

@NdzimuunamiEM said:

"As a student at @go2uj I am deeply disappointed. This is the university pioneering the 4IR and I would have expected all its decisions to be led by Science and not Politics."

@FitnessSportHub said:

"In this case, I pray that all the teachers of UJ get better jobs elsewhere where they can choose their lives and that all the students find a better school elsewhere to study their chosen fields."

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@EdwinSenshen said:

"Sure maybe the staff, but the students? They just need an education. It’s not the students' responsibility to get vaccinated for anyone. They get vaccinated for their own sake or accept the risk."

@krisbicknell_ said:

"That is wrong. We should all be allowed to have the freedom of choice to vaccinate or not. As well as the choice to eat healthily and be healthy. The vaccination is not the only way to be healthy."

UWC vaccine mandate: Students upset by university’s decision, fight for freedom of choice

Briefly News previously reported that the University of the Western Cape (UWC) has announced that it will be compulsory for its students to be vaccinated against Covid-19 if they wish to access campus (including residences) or attend events held by the university.

This policy will come into effect at the beginning of next year. Other tertiary education institutions, such as the University of the Free State and the University of the Witwatersrand, have implemented similar policies.

The students will be allowed to register irrespective of their vaccination status. However, students do not feel that this concession is enough and many are predicted to protest against the new policy, according to the Daily Voice.

Source: Briefly News