Students, staff and stakeholders of the University of the Free State (UFS) form part of the Universities Alliance South Africa’s law suit against the UFS mandatory vaccination policy during the Covid Pandemic.
Universities Alliance South Africa is a Non-Profit Company established in December 2021 to defend the rights of university students, staff, and stakeholders nationwide.
Nathan Pillay, chairperson of the alliance, says they represent more than 100 stakeholders from the UFS in the challenge that will be heard in the Bloemfontein High Court on 27 November.
The UFS Covid policy was approved on 26 November 2021 and implemented from 14 February 2022, despite significant opposition from within the UFS community.
Pillay says this was done contrary to evidence available at the time which led many other universities to decide not to adopt similar policies.
“The policy impeded the rights of thousands of stakeholders, threatening to strip students, staff, and others of their freedom of choice and, should they not comply, access to education and employment.”
One student that do not want to be named, said she had concerns regarding the effectiveness and safety of the mRNA vaccines. Her mother said only vaccinated persons were allowed onto the campus and if not vaccinated, staff, students and visitors had to bring a weekly negative test (costing R500) and later a negative antigen test (costing R150) per week.
With the majority of students dependent on NSFAS funding for studies, many were forced to vaccinate against their will to continue their education as they could not afford weekly Covid-19 testing. Others who did not wish to comply were pressured into capitulation.
Pillay said the UFS’ disregard for evidence and evasion of accountability left Universities Alliance South Africa with no choice but to launch a legal challenge against the policy on behalf of those harmed by the policy, many of whom were unable to defend their rights in their individual capacities.
“Our matter has now been set down for hearing and the disenfranchised, downtrodden, and oppressed will finally be given a voice on 27 November,” Pillay said in a news release.
Universities Alliance South Africa stands for the South African Constitution, freedom of choice, and bodily integrity. “We have held that the UFS’ mandatory vaccination policy is draconian, disproportionate, and unacceptable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom.
“Ultimately, this matter is not merely about vaccines. At its heart lies the need to hold haughty and overzealous institutions accountable for their abuses of power and contempt for the human rights of the very citizens they are mandated to serve.”
Pillay said that although the policy is not presently in force, the UFS has retained it for future use as it sees fit, and with it remains an ever-present threat of prejudice to stakeholders if the university is not taken to task.
“Regardless of one’s personal identity, cultural background, or individual stance on vaccination, we can all find common ground in defending the Bill of Rights. A successful outcome in our matter would represent a resounding affirmation of the rights of every South African, and we therefore implore all citizens to stand alongside us for the collective good of our country and its Constitution” Pillay said.
