MEDIA STATEMENT

Pretoria, 22 July 2021: The Social Development sector will increase its vaccination rollout plan across the country with other Provinces joining. Yesterday, the Northern Cape and Western Cape Provinces joined other Provinces in starting their vaccination roll-out, and we expect Limpopo which would be the last Province, to start on Friday 23 July 2021.

During her site visit on Monday, 19 July 2021, to the Tembisa and Thokoza vaccination sites, where she was accompanied by the Minister of Acting Health Minister Ms Mamoloko Kubayi, and the Gauteng Provincial MECs for Social Development and Health, Minister of Social Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu said: “We are very pleased at the turnout of our sector, especially the ECD practitioners and Social Workers that presented themselves for vaccination which is a good starting point for this programme, and we applaud the sector in this regard. I am equally pleased at the level of coordination and efficiency of the Department of Health at the vaccination sites which makes the vaccination journey a seamless process, and I appreciate the support from the Acting Minister of Health and her team in this regard.”

Whilst there have been minor challenges including; some names of Social Service Professions workforce not appearing on the EVDS system due to technical errors experienced by the South African Council for Social Service Professions, as well as some members of the ECD sector not being adequately scheduled for vaccination in specific sites, these have since been largely resolved. The National and Provincial Departments of the Social Development Portfolio are extensively communicating with the sector to ensure that they are supported during this time.

The Department therefore encourages the Social Service Professionals and all the ECD workforce to speedily vaccinate by Friday 23 July 2021. In this regard, the Department encourages all ECD services who have been uploaded onto the Department of Health’s EVDS System by the Department of Social Development, to go to their nearest designated Social Development vaccination sites in the provinces where they reside, to get vaccinated.

For the ECD workforce and Social Service Professionals who are not sure whether they have been uploaded onto the EVDS, they should contact: 0800 029 999 before going to the vaccination sites. In the event that their details are not on the EVDS, ECD workforce and Social Service Professionals can contact their Provincial Coordinators, whose details are attached below, and who will provide them with the necessary assistance. Members of the sector are reminded that all vaccines are safe and are the same, and they should take vaccines available at the sites and not necessarily choose between which vaccines to take.

The Department further reminds all members of the sector to carry the following documents when going to vaccination sites;

• Identity document or Passport;
• Employee card; and practice card or receipt in the case of registered practitioners;
• Medical aid cards for those who are on any medical aid; and
• To ensure that they have an updated cell-phone number which must be provided to the healthcare professional at the vaccination site in order to ensure that they receive further communication directly from the Department of Health.

Vaccination sites will remain open between 08h00 and 15h00 daily. Whilst vaccinations are voluntary, the Minister encourages all members of the sector to go out and vaccinate as this is the only lifeline they may have against the ravaging effects of COVID-19, which has already claimed many lives even within the Social Sector. The Minister said, “Vaccinations are indeed safe and will ensure protection against the spread of this virus, and they will also enable members of the sector to be able to reach more people knowing that they have been vaccinated.”

Below, are the contact details of all Provincial and ECD Coordinators:

ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Media enquiries may be forwarded to Ms Lumka Oliphant on 083 484 8067 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.