The Minister, along with Deputy Minister Reginah Mhaule, encourages teachers who are over 60 to get vaccinated. There is said to be more than 18 000 teachers who are over 60 years old.
Mhaule said:
I am making an urgent call to all of them. Let them register and let them come and vaccinate. They must not be afraid. They must not listen to all the negativity that other people are saying. We are encouraging them. It's for their health, not for somebody else's. It's also for the health of their loved ones.
Motshekga has also said that she supports those who are calling for teachers to be prioritised in the vaccine rollout. On this, she said:
I've raised it with Cabinet long ago. Last year we lost scores of teachers through the virus and we lost some of our most experienced people. We lost many people in the sector so I've been raising the issue with the Minister of Health.
She continued to say that the Minister of Health is very supportive and that there are plans to make sure teachers and other frontline workers are prioritised.
The Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, has been vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of phase 2 of the vaccine rollout. The Minister received the Pfizer vaccine at eSangweni Clinic in Tembisa.
Motshekga's mother, sister and husband received their vaccines that day as well.
The Minister herself has been infected with Covid-19 and says that it was "a vicious attack". She then advises anyone to take advantage when they're given the opportunity to vaccinate.
It's a very difficult disease. It can be extremely problematic so if there's anything they should do, it's to take advantage of this opportunity to be vaccinated. It's very important.
The Deputy Minister received her Pfizer vaccine in Pretoria on 25 May and is due for her second shot after 3 weeks.
The Department hopes that Ministers being vaccinated will encourage South Africans to do the same.
Younger teachers and learners in schools are urged to help the elderly register and encourage them to get vaccinated.
