If ever there was a year that Parliament has to up its game, it is 2021. It is a matter of life and death. Yes, this sounds dramatic, but it is no alarmist exaggeration, writes parliamentary reporter Jan Gerber.
With the country still in the grip of a second wave of Covid-19 infections, only the most delusional of conspiracy theorists can still downplay the deadly effects of the coronavirus. The general consensus is that a vast vaccination programme is the best hope to defeat the pandemic.
Thus far, the government's response in procuring vaccinations has been disturbingly tardy, albeit that President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize deny the government was sleeping on the job.
