ActionSA president Herman Mashaba on Tuesday called on South Africans to be responsible in their communication on coronavirus- (Covid-19-) related matters and to challenge misleading information.

He reinforced his party’s commitment to playing a role in fighting the pandemic and added that ActionSA was concerned with vaccine misinformation currently circulating.

“I will take the Covid-19 vaccine the moment it is my turn to do so,” he said. “I call upon all South Africans to be responsible in their communication on Covid-19-related matters and to challenge information that is misleading. We can only prevail against this pandemic when fact, logic and science prevail over misinformation.”

ActionSA expressed disappointment with government’s failures with the Covid-19 education and awareness campaign, including information pertaining to the vaccine and its treatment.

Mashaba said the swift roll-out of the vaccine was critical to save lives and end South Africa’s economic lockdown and urged government to expedite vaccine procurement and distribution.

“Critically, ActionSA’s position on Covid-19 treatment acknowledges that it must be the right of every South African to determine, with informed consent, whether they will receive the vaccine or not. The sanctity of a person’s body, and their right to determine what they will and won’t receive as medical treatment, is a long-established principle that cannot be infringed,” he added.

The party reinforced its support for social distancing, sanitising and mask wearing and also called on the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority to finalise its decision on potentially effective therapeutics.