Potch students march against NWU vaccination protocol

A group of students from the North-West University (NWU) in Potchefstroom and their supporters marched against the university’s Covid-19 vaccination protocol on Friday. About 300 people took part in the march around Cachet Park in Meyers Street in the Bult area.

Michelle Hammann (19), convenor of the march and a first-year BA Communication student, said that the purpose of the march was to protest against what she sees as the NWU’s stance in not giving students and staff a choice to decide whether they want to be vaccinated or not.

“The NWU says that it is non-mandatory, but we feel like it is mandatory, since you either get vaccinated or get an exemption. But you will not be guaranteed of receiving an exemption,” Hammann said during the march.

She said that the march participants felt the NWU was violating their freedom of choice.

Hammann indicated that all necessary protocols were followed for the peaceful protest to be legal. The protesters applied for permission at the municipality, leading to two meetings with the organisers and the municipality. The South African Police Service (SAPS) was informed, as well as the NWU. The Freedom Front Plus and Solidariteit were also involved in the organisation.

Professor Linda du Plessis, acting vice-chancellor of the North-West University, said during a virtual media conference with NWU staff and the media on Thursday 24 February that the NWU has a “non-mandatory stance”. She said that the university encourages vaccinations since the university is “pro-vaccination”.

When asked how the NWU felt about the protest, Professor du Plessis indicated that since the NWU supports freedom of speech and encourages the development of its students, the university acknowledges the protest. She said she would like to make it clear that the NWU is trying to protect its students and staff by encouraging vaccinations, since there are so many people at the university. This makes the threat of a possible Covid-19 outbreak prominent.

Mr Clement Manoko, NWU Executive Director of Corporate Communication and Marketing, said that “the NWU does not require anyone to show a vaccination certificate, we merely encourage students and staff to upload their certificates to the NWU’s website. This is for us to be aware of how many of our students and staff are currently vaccinated.”

*This story was updated on Monday 28 February to change the number of participants. According to Michelle Hamman, the organiser, about 300 people participated.