The FF Plus has serious doubts about the South African government's ability to effectively implement and manage the possible relaxation or waiver of the Covid-19 vaccine patent.
Today during a parliamentary Portfolio Committee meeting, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ebrahim Patel, confirmed that America, India as well as various developing countries from Africa and Asia support the proposal and that Australia, New Zealand and Canada promised qualified support, while the European Union is reserving judgement.
While the government is engaging with pharmaceutical companies and in bilateral discussions with other governments to gain more support for the proposal to waive the Covid-19 vaccine patent, ordinary South Africans are suffering the consequences of government’s clumsy implementation of early lockdown regulations, the slow roll-out of the vaccination programme and continued corruption with Covid-19 funds.
Thus far, it has only contributed to greater backlogs with vaccinations and hindered the domestic development of vaccines. The time that it is expected to take for such a patent waiver – up to three years – to help realise the domestic production of vaccines offers very little hope.
The ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa must accept full responsibility for South Africa's apparent inability to effectively combat Covid-19 as well as the detrimental impact it is having on the economy.
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