WATCH: EFF supporters descend on Sahpra offices

ToBeConfirmed

ToBeConfirmed

Published Jun 25, 2021

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Pretoria - Bus loads of EFF supporters and others have arrived to participate in the protest outside the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) offices in Pretoria.

The protest was scheduled to start at 10am, however, an hour later, and people are still gathering at an off-site location about a kilometre away from Kirkness Street, where Sahpra offices are situated.

Tshwane Metro Police have been stationed in the area, with the city's Public Order Policing unit also present.

Earlier, members of the EFF began sanitising the podium where EFF leader Julius Malema is expected to address the gathering. The pavement and road where the gathering will take place was also sanitised.

The march has been criticised as it takes place during the third wave of the pandemic where gatherings have been sharply limited to prevent rising infections.

The party said it would follow Covid-19 regulations during the march. However, some of those seen in the buses were without face masks and not maintaining social distance.

As more people arrive on foot, some of them were also seen not wearing masks.

The EFF is demanding the Sahpra speed up the approval of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine and the Chinese Sinovac manufactured Coronavac vaccine.

Sahpra had indicated in February that it was reviewing applications linked to the Sinovac and Sputnik vaccines.

— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) June 25, 2021

The EFF has been critical of the government’s handling of the vaccination programme, saying more diverse vaccines should be procured. EFF leader Julius Malema said President Cyril Ramaphosa could not continue imposing lockdowns and should instead be providing vaccines.