Taxi operators in Mpumalanga finally get the jab
Taxi operators in the province are finally receiving their Covid-19 vaccines.
This was made possible by the provincial Department of Health, which according to its MEC, Sasekani Manzini, was long overdue.
Manzini, who officially launched the vaccination roll-out in Secunda on Wednesday, said taxi operators are at more risk of contracting the virus as they are always on the road and get to see many different people daily.
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“We take taxi operators’ lives seriously. This is the reason we are taking this programme directly to the taxi ranks, so we can get more operators and those working at taxi ranks, such as the hawkers who sell here every day, a chance to get vaccinated,” said Manzini. She stressed the need for her department to take the vaccination programme directly to the masses.
“We realised that since the turnout of senior citizens at vaccination sites was very low, drastic measures needed to be considered to make the process less stressful for our people. So we have decided that we will take this programme to the people. We will soon target malls and shopping centres, because more people are coming through here,” added Manzini.
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“We want our economy to open up so we can go back to our lives the way we used to. But we can never go back there if we have not been vaccinated. It is important that we all go and get the jab and be protected,” she continued.
The provincial chairperson of the South African National Taxi Council, Fanyana Sibanyoni, said they support the programme and vowed to encourage all their members to get the jab and save lives.
“We would like to thank the Department of Health and MEC Manzini for prioritising us. We have been waiting for this day for a long time and we are happy that it has finally arrived. We actually believed we could have been number two on the list after healthcare workers, but nonetheless, we are happy and we fully support this initiative,” said Sibanyoni.
On parting, Manzini appealed to those between 35 and 49 to register for the vaccination.
