Several sports organisations in the Northern Cape came out in support of the national and provincial departments of Sports and Recreation’s ‘Return to Play – It’s In Your Hands’ vaccination campaign at Tafel Lager Park in Kimberley on Friday morning.
ON FRIDAY the vaccination social mobilisation campaign reached Kimberley as its fifth stop of a national tour aimed at encouraging South Africans to vaccinate so that the country can reach herd immunity by December this year.
The campaign, ‘Return to Play – It’s In Your Hands’, jointly led by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in the province, is aimed at getting more people vaccinated so that concerts, festivals, and sporting events can open up and welcome audiences and spectators, said Minister Nathi Mthethwa.
The campaign was launched on September 8 in Johannesburg with the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture using its unique position of galvanizing support and voice to the country’s sporting and creative industries.
Mthethwa was accompanied by the Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul and Sol Plaatje Executive mayor Patrick Mabilo.
First up on the podium to pledge their support for the campaign was Raymond Kgang Mothobi who represented the Northern Cape Open Boxing Organisation and Freedom Boxing Club.
Mothobi was followed by Northern Cape Cricket representative and captain of Northern Cape Heat Aubrey Swanepoel who likewise addressed the assembled audience and encouraged all to vaccinate.
The South African Football Association’s Master’s Legends Joseph Moshedi Sekoa expressed his association’s support for the initiative as did Charné Maddox who is a member of South Africa’s Women’s hockey squad.
They were followed on the podium by several members from the Northern Cape artistic community who made pledges.
Health Minister Phaahla spoke on the importance of everybody taking the vaccine shot, saying that the Government was targeting December this year as the point by which it is hoped that the country would reach herd immunity.
“At the moment we are not moving as fast as we wanted and are able to. Currently we have adequate capacity to provide the jab to all South Africans. We can vaccinate all 40 million South Africans above 18 as soon as they come.
“At the moment we have covered just under 35 percent of the adult population amounting to under 14 million people. As soon as we reach 100 percent the president will give us the greenlight to get our lives back and go back to the stadiums,” he said.
Reporting by Neville Mothlabakwe
Pictures by Soraya Crowie
