No vaccination, no studies

Jeanette Diergaardt





Students currently studying at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) face deregistration if they are not fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated students seeking accommodation at Wits’ hostels will also be denied access.

According to News Media in South Africa, Wits applied for the policy to be approved after the university’s council raised concerns on the safety of students and their employees. The university announced its vaccination policy on 26 November, which will be implemented on 1 January 2022.

The University of the Free State in Bloemfontein will not compel students to vaccinate, but maintains sole mandate to require students to get vaccinated to protect the lives of their employees and students.

The University of Stellenbosch drafted a vaccination rule which is being considered by management. Upon approval, the vaccination rule will be implemented in the second quarter of the academic year, according to the press statement released by the university.

The rule, once approved, will also require students to be vaccinated or else they will face deregistration or they won’t have the opportunity to register at all. Employment at the Stellenbosch University will be affected by the rule as it will assist to govern employment at the university.

According to a statement by Stellenbosch University, a risk assessment was done, which found that universities are a high-risk area for the transmission of Covid-19.

Namibian universities

Universities in Namibia are still deliberating on the matter.

“We discussed it in a meeting once, but we resolved that persuasion is better than compulsion,” University of Namibia public relations officer John Haufiku said. According to the PRO of the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST), Nico Smit, the institution is looking at the directive and as soon as an agreement has been reached, it will be communicated accordingly to the public.