Private sector partners with government provide a boost for vaccination rollout

3 June 2021

Today (03 June, 2021) I joined Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, to visit one of the Shoprite stores that have partnered with the City of Cape Town to create awareness of the Covid-19 vaccination and assist the elderly to register for their vaccines during SASSA payout days. 

Credit must go to both the City of Cape Town and Shoprite for this initiative which is an excellent example of how the private sector are stepping up to assist government to ensure a successful Covid-19 vaccination rollout in the Western Cape. 

The fact is, that, in the end, economic recovery depends on vaccinating as many people, as fast as possible, because with more jabs, there will be more jobs.  

And that is why I am pleased to announce that we have in recent weeks engaged extensively with the private sector to build strong partnerships to increase the take-up and rollout of the vaccine in the Western Cape.  

To this end, we have hosted a number of engagements with business leaders from multiple sectors and have followed these up with further one-to-one engagements.  

And I am pleased to say that there is extensive support and buy-in from the private sector to support government to rollout Covid-19 vaccinations in the Western Cape.   

This support includes:  

Businesses partnering with us to distribute our vaccine campaign messaging in workplaces;  

Businesses partnering with us to set up vaccination sites at their business premises; and  

Businesses partnering with us spread awareness and to help people, especially the elderly, to register on the EVDS system.  

However, one significant area of concern has emerged from these engagements. While national government, to their credit, have partnered with Business for South Africa to enable private sector workplace vaccination sites, the system to register businesses is currently too complex.   

Businesses are frustrated by this. They want to help, but are being asked to navigate a spider web of regulations which are being inefficiently implemented.

There needs to be an urgent review to simplify and clarify the process so we can take up the support being offered by businesses as quickly as possible.  

It is great to see stores like Dis-Chem and Clicks administering Covid-19 vaccinations. Let’s get more willing businesses to help out as quickly as possible.  

And in the meantime, each and every one of us should do everything we can to flatten the curve and delay the peak of a potential third wave in the Western Cape.   

Wear your masks, sanitise, practice social distancing and avoid gatherings as far as possible for the next weeks.   

Together we can beat Covid-19 in the Western Cape. 

Issued by Francine Higham, Spokesperson for the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities (Responsible for the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism), 3 June 2021