The mandatory vaccination of students and employees at the University of Cape Town (UCT), is unlawful and a threat to the livelihoods of university employees and discriminates against students who refuse vaccination.
This is the view of Paul Maritz, manager of Solidarity Youth.
Mandatory vaccination
Solidarity today sent a lawyer’s letter to UCT, dealing with this university’s policy on mandatory vaccination of students as well as its employees.
“As a public body, the university must comply with various sets of legislation and legal principles. This policy is in conflict with almost all forms of regulation the university is subject to,” says Maritz. “This policy is plain irrational and unfair. From the outset it is a major infringement on the constitutional rights of students as well as the university’s employees.”
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UCT must ‘review and reject’
In its letter, Solidarity demands that UCT review and reject this policy. Solidarity further contends that it is inconceivable for the university to issue such a policy at this time of the year.
“At this time of the year, students and prospective students have already reached an advanced stage of the application process for next year. This policy means that many students will now have to look for alternatives on short notice and, in many cases, it may already be too late to do so. This policy changes, as it were, the university’s admission requirements and it is not within UCT’s power to randomly tamper with such conditions,” Maritz pointed out.
According to Solidarity, UCT’s primary mandate is to train students for the workplace and not to promote vaccination.
“It is a shame that the future of so many students is threatened by the promotion and enforcement of the university management’s views. In a country with the world’s highest youth unemployment rate, it is appalling that a university would banish even more young people to the horrors of unemployment and poverty,” Maritz concludes.
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