ACDP’s involvement in the Wayne Prins CCMA Matter

ACDP’s involvement in the Wayne Prins CCMA Matter

ACDP’s involvement in the Wayne Prins CCMA Matter

The ACDP has noted some skepticism about its involvement in the CCMA settlement agreement entered between Mr Wayne Prins and his employer on Thursday the 10th March 2022 in Cape Town.

From the onset, since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ACDP has been at the forefront of activism in this regard. The ACDP was responsible, together with other applicants in a number of litigations, for forcing government and SAHPRA to roll out Ivermectin as an alternative treatment for Covid-19.

The ACDP is currently in court, challenging the needless experimental rollout of children’s vaccination at school matter which has been set down for the end of April.

The ACDP has led demonstrations throughout the country calling for amongst others, vaccination mandates to end as they are unconstitutional.

Accordingly, the ACDP has pledged to assist many South Africans, notwithstanding membership of the party, with fighting their employers who force them to vaccinate against their will.

It is through this pledge and commitment, that Mr Prins approached the ACDP for assistance when he was unfairly dismissed for insisting on his rights which are sacrosanct.

The ACDP commissioned its lawyer, NEC Member, Mr Bongani Luthuli, to assist Mr Prins with his legal challenge.

The ACDP fully funded and supported Mr Prins with his referral. Although not a party to this dispute on record, the ACDP played a prominent role in the matter.

Mr Prins’ victory through his settlement is therefore the ACDP’s victory, it is the people’s victory, and a righteous victory.

The ACDP will continue to fight all gross violations committed against employees until it prevails and justice as well as the rule of law takes preeminence again through section 23 of the Constitution which guarantees the right to fair labour practices.

-ENDS-

Issued by: ACDP Media Office

Media enquiries:
Bongani Luthuli, ACDP NEC Member, Cell: 076-100-4051.

ACDP quizzes “Where is South Africa’s vanishing No-Fault Vaccine Injury Fund?”

ACDP quizzes “Where is South Africa’s vanishing No-Fault Vaccine Injury Fund?”

13th January 2022

ACDP Parliament
Media Release
Marie Sukers MP

ACDP quizzes “Where is South Africa’s vanishing No-Fault Vaccine Injury Fund?”
• Also questions ongoing use of emergency regulations to govern.
• Says we must move away from rule by executive fiat.


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In April 2021, South Africans were informed that for the COVID vaccine roll-out to go ahead, vaccine manufacturers required the South African government to indemnify manufacturers from liability if the COVID vaccines caused severe side effects. Government responded by creating a Covid-19 Vaccine Injury No-Fault Compensation Scheme. Due to the supposedly urgent need to create the fund the public was given a mere four days to make submissions and the Scheme was gazetted as an amendment to the Disaster regulations.

ACDP MP Marie Sukers is now trying to find out what has happened to the fund. She explains “Many South Africans, who had concerns about the safety of the vaccines went to receive their jab on the understanding that should anything go wrong the state would be there to support them, but finding information about the fund, how to apply, how to contact the fund, where its offices are etc. is very difficult.”

“At the moment the urgent need is to tell my constituents where they can go to make claims. We are not seeing any advertising or advocacy around the fund. This seems to be another failure of communication from the Department of Health. As a member of the Portfolio Committee on Health I haven’t received any briefing on the fund since April last year.”

Mrs Sukers has communicated with the Director-General in the Department of Health and asked him to urgently provide her with information so she can pass it on to concerned citizens. “While I love speaking to and helping my constituents it is alarming that they have to approach an MP for information that should be widely shared. Some of those who have approached me are health professionals.”

For Sukers this raises broader issues, in particular the ongoing use of emergency regulations to govern.


The oversight role of parliament needs to be strengthened and we must move away from rule by executive fiat.

 “To ensure this I have communicated with the Chair of the Portfolio Committee on Health and asked for an urgent briefing by the Minister of Health on the status, processes being followed and progress of the Covid-19 Vaccine Injury No-Fault Compensation Scheme and especially communication to the public about the fund.”

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REPORT MANDATORY VACCINATIONS TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

REPORT MANDATORY VACCINATIONS TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

The African Christian Democratic Party welcomes and supports the call by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for people who have been threatened with losing their jobs or rented accommodation for refusing to have a Covid-19 vaccine to come forward.

ACDP MP Marie Sukers encourages all persons who feel prejudiced, by his or her employer’s decision to make vaccination mandatory, to submit a complaint to the SAHRC at GautengComplaints@sahrc.org.za

According to the SAHRC’s Gauteng head, Buang Jones, the commission hopes that this will assist to explore the available legalities to best address situations affecting employees and the implicated employers.

The commission says that this is an intervention that seeks to protect rights and hear the position of employers on this very important issue.

Complaints have already been received by the SAHRC from people who have been told they will be dismissed or evicted from where they stay if they do not take the vaccine. These are people who have serious misgivings about the vaccine.

Last month, a consolidated direction on occupational health and safety measures issued by employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi said: “Employers should find a reasonable resolution that accommodates all parties where employees refuse to be vaccinated for medical and constitutional grounds.

“The key principle of these guidelines is that employers and employees should treat each other with mutual respect. A premium is placed on public health imperatives, the constitutional rights of employees and the efficient operation of the employer’s business.”

ACDP response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Address to the Nation on 1 February 2021

ACDP response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Address to the Nation on 1 February 2021

Media Release by Wayne Thring MP, ACDP Deputy President
 
In light of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation on 1 February 2021, the African Christian Democratic Party wishes to respond as follows:
 
We welcome the announcement that vaccines will not be mandatory. This has always been the position of the ACDP. We have consistently called for Covid-19 vaccines to be safe and voluntary, the contents of which must be made known to any South African who may wish to take them. We will not deviate from this position. Mr. Ramaphosa also mentioned that there will be no travel and other restrictions that will be placed on those who do not take the vaccine.
 
This, however, contradicts Prof Salim Abdool Karim who is on record for having said that in this year, 2021, restrictions on movement will be put in place.
 
Does Prof Karim know more than the President of South Africa?
 
The ACDP also welcomes the lifting of the discriminatory restrictions on the religious sector. These restrictions saw the doors of churches across the country closed, while casinos, restaurants, malls, taxis, and airlines operated with limited to no restrictions. In this regard, the ACDP supported the court application by FORSA to force the hand of government to reopen church doors, whilst maintaining health and hygiene protocols. It can never be acceptable that government adopts a punitive and hypocritical stance against the religious sector when compared to other sectors.
 
Sadly, the President failed to clarify regulations on toddlers wearing face masks. This must be made very clear as toddlers, in particular, are still in their physiological development stage, requiring sufficient oxygen for brain and neurological development, not to mention the possibility of bacterial pneumonia in infants.
 
The ACDP has noticed that while the President has said that government will not place any restrictions on travel for those who do not take the vaccine, the CEO of Quantus Airlines, has said that their airline will, in the future, look at prohibiting passengers who have not received the Covid-19 vaccine, from flying. Additionally, the Israeli Health Ministry Director has also said that the Israeli government will not force citizens to take the vaccine, but Amazon will. Airlines will. Banks will. He further went on to say that “citizens won’t be able to buy, sell or trade without the vaccine.”
 
The ACDP demands to know whether these restrictions from the private sector will also apply to South Africans and whether the President of South Africa is only telling us a half-truth.

ACDP Launches urgent application for the use of Ivermectin for COVID-19 Treatment

ACDP Launches urgent application for the use of Ivermectin for COVID-19 Treatment

The ACDP today launched an urgent application in the North Gauteng High Court to ensure that all registered medical doctors are able to prescribe the drug Ivermectin for Covid-19 treatment.


We will be seeking various orders, including removing any and all restrictions on the use of the drug in South Africa, provided it has been prescribed by a registered medical doctor, as well as an order declaring that the failure by the Minister of Health, Mr Mkhize, and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to ensure that Ivermectin is accessible to all those who need it is inconsistent with the Constitution and invalid.


At a time when the Covid-19 is spreading rapidly, it is deeply concerning that medical doctors have been unable to prescribe Ivermectin, when treating Covid-19 positive patients.


The ACDP is joined in its application by Doctors for Life, an organization representing hundreds of medical doctors in the country.


Lastly, the ACDP notes that this afternoon, SAHPRA announced that it would facilitate “compassionate, controlled, access to Ivermectine” and will be issuing guidelines in this regard for medical practitioners. A key part of our case is that SAHPRA could and should have relied on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) assessment of the drug. We are pleased to note that SAHPRA CEO, Dr Boitumelo Semete- Makokotlela, announced today that it would rely on the WHO assessment that the drug is safe for human use. We will be studying the guidelines once they are available, as well as taking advice from both medical practitioners and our legal team in this regard

Schools Should Not All Be Treated The Same In Delayed Return – THE ACDP

Schools Should Not All Be Treated The Same In Delayed Return – THE ACDP

In light of the serious health emergency and its impact on hospitals, it would be advisable to keep schools closed for the next two weeks.
The ACDP wants to state however that all schools should not be treated the same. School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and communities should determine school readiness. There should be a differentiated approach in the reopening of schools and not a one size fits all approach.