‘Whites only’ Covid-19 vaccine scandal being probed in North West

Three North West health officials are in trouble for allegedly withholding Covid-19 vaccines from black people, while mobilising white people to get vaccinated at the department’s Tswaing sub-district last month.

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has charged that if true, the officials’ alleged actions would amount to attempted murder, and even murder, if any of those affected contracted Covid-19 and died.

The senior officials, including the sub-district manager, allegedly denied vaccines to black patients at a local vaccination site, claiming they were out of stock.

Spokesperson for the provincial department of health Tebogo Lekgethwane said the trio then allegedly mobilised members of the local white community for vaccination, which he said was very serious.

Nehawu alleges that the officials were all white but the department was yet to confirm or deny this.

He said the motive for their actions may very well be racial, because there has been enough vaccines in the sub-district, yet a number of people went to the vaccination site for scheduled inoculations but were turned back as there was no stock.

“But those who were observing, there were white people who came later and those were whisked into private rooms to be vaccinated” Lekgethwane told SABC.

Nehawu provincial secretary Patrick Makhafane said it was very worrying when people could not get vaccinated on the basis of their colour, saying this was akin to extermination of another race.

He said they were shocked by the alleged inciden.

“Nehawu learns that these allegedly white officials turned back people who were due for vaccination while they have purportedly planned and scheduled a special vaccination day for white residents… It amounts to the highest level of misconduct and a crime to humanity insofar as access to health is concerned, particularly considering the brutality of the Covid pandemic to humankind,” Makhafane charged.

He said they expected nothing but decisive action for this alleged behaviour so that the department cleansed itself of any racial character and any act of segregation in healthcare.

“This is an embarrassment to say the least, noting the years of our democracy which is not at the maturity stage. Such racial acts should be eliminated immediately when they raise their ugly heads,” Makhafane said.

He added that they would request an urgent meeting with the provincial health department to ensure that systems were in place to get to the bottom of this matter, which they also intend to report to the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for investigation.

siphom@citizen.co.za