‘There are no vaccines, people are dying’ — Mbalula gets dragged after sharing third wave advice

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula’s plea for vigilance amid rising Covid-19 infections was met with calls for a speedy vaccine rollout as scores fear for their lives.

SA is seeing a surge in Covid-19 infections as it battles its third wave.

Mbalula took to Twitter on Tuesday to urge South Africans to wear masks and hand sanitise to prevent the spread of infections.

He shared a video of a singer raising awareness about Covid-19. 

While some thanked him for sharing the message to encourage people to stay safe, many accused him of “joking” about the pandemic and questioned the cost of making the “cringe” music video. 

Here’s what was said on social media: 

On Tuesday the health ministry said 3,687,439 citizens have registered for vaccination and 2,229,242 have received their Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson  jabs under phase 2 of the vaccine rollout and the Sisonke Study. 

The department reported 297 deaths. Gauteng is the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic. Its cumulative number of infections is 567,681 with 12,320 deaths and 494,869 recoveries.

It is unclear if the government will impose a stricter lockdown level in the province. President Cyril Ramaphosa hinted at this possibility on Tuesday and said Gauteng premier David Makhura is working with the health ministry to handle the situation in the province.

“I am deeply worried. We are seeing infection rates that seem to be much higher than what we have seen before and premier David Makhura is dealing with this challenge. Acting minister of health Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane is also involved and we are very grateful to have a soldier corps who are able to go in to assist,” said Ramaphosa.