Ramaphosa kicks off vaccine rollout at Khayelitsha

18 Feb 2021

"This day represents a real milestone for us as South Africans that finally the vaccines are here and they are being administered. I was rather pleased that there were five people who were vaccinated before me and they are health workers," said President Cyril Ramaphosa who was among the first to get the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, together with health minister Zweli Mkhize and healthcare workers in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape, yesterday.

President Cyril Ramaphosa receiving the #Covid19 vaccine. #IChooseVacciNation #VaccineRolloutSA pic.twitter.com/lYJjftWDMl
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) February 17, 2021

Before the president's arrival, Mkhize witnessed the first healthcare workers receiving the vaccine. The first health worker to be vaccinated was Zoliswa Gidi-Dyosi.

Nurse Zoliswa Gidi-Dyosi is the first healthcare worker to receive the coronavirus #vaccine in South Africa ��‍⚕️ �� #VaccineforSouthAfrica #WeChooseVaccination #Khayelitsha pic.twitter.com/hzven1eS9P
— ATHI GELEBA �� (@AthiGeleba) February 17, 2021

I would like to invite South Africans to take this up (get vaccinated), so that we can all be safe, so that we all can be healthy.”

The president further thanked Mkhize for all his hard work in procuring the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The first batch of 80,000 doses, which has been approved by the South African Health Products Authority arrived at the OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng on Tuesday night.

Vaccine rollout starts today

17 Feb 2021

Gauteng

In Gauteng, health MEC, Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, being the first healthcare worker to receive the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. She was accompanied by Gauteng premier David Makhura.

#WeChooseVacciNation #VaccineForSouthAfrica https://t.co/PyW6yn6xRI
— David Makhura (@David_Makhura) February 17, 2021

“Our departments are dealing with the logistics of ensuring the facilities on the ground are ready for vaccination. We just want to get the doses that are relevant to us and get those doses to the appropriate people. The critical thing is that it is better for procurement to be dealt with in one place, so the risk is reduced. I am happy that the National Department of Health is dealing with the vaccine procurement,” Makhura said.

“Preventing corruption is something that we must ensure. We must put in place measures [to prevent it]. The vaccines must get to the relevant people and that is why the system is so tight. Everybody that is going to get the vaccine must register."