By Hajira Khota

The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and other concerned organisations’ court effort to block the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination to children aged 12 to 17 is still on track to succeed.

According to ACDP lawyer Bongani Luthuli, spoke to Radio Islam International; he says that the matter was awaiting a hearing date.

The matter is still urgent, according to Luthuli, but it is now dragging while other parties, notably Section27, ask to join the proceedings as friends of the court.

The party said that Sahpra’s judgment, which allowed the Pfizer vaccine to be used in youngsters aged 12 to 17, was in effect against the best interests of children.

Children were being used as a shield to protect adult society, according to the party, while adult society should be safeguarding children.

Despite the impending appeal, the department proceeded with the implementation of a thorough and expedited vaccination strategy for the children.

The ACDP had previously written to the Department of Health and Sahpra, requesting that the vaccination of children aged 12 to 17 be halted.

The ACDP has not received a response to its request to suspend the roll-out; it will now seek an interim injunction to prevent the department and health practitioners from providing Covid-19 immunisations to children until the appeal is resolved.

Section27 will seek to intervene as a friend of the court, arguing that issuing an interdict for teenage vaccination would be detrimental to children’s rights to basic education, health, and equality, among other things.

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