TODAY OUR GUEST IS Consortium for Refugees and migrants in south africa Communications and Media Officer Vimbai Mataruse.

• WITH South Africa’s vaccination campaign gathering pace, various groups representing migrants in South Africa, are appealing to government to include undocumented migrants into the country’s vaccination programme.
• Th groups say access to health has always been an issue in the migrant community and many still fear that they may face rejection if they present themselves with or without documentation.
• Although President Cyril Ramaphosa has in the past said every person in the country would be vaccinated, regardless of their citizenship status, there is yet to be a clear plan on when undocumented migrants will be vaccinated.
• So far South Africa’s Electronic Vaccination Data System the country’s registration portal only accepts documented foreigners.
• The International Rescue Committee reported in May that 60% of countries receiving their vaccines through the world health organisations Covax facility had excluded refugees or internally displaced populations from their national plans.