At the eleventh hour, journalists were informed of the cancellation by the spokesperson Simphiwe Dlamini at the Waterkloof Military Medical Center in Pretoria. 

Dlamini said while the launch is postponed due to technical challenges, the members will still be vaccinated. 

"The process will continue in terms of vaccination and as planned if you saw our statement we were specific about where the vaccinations will take place in terms of the categories.  By our own calculation, we would like to cover as many members as possible, in particular those in the frontline.”

There are 16 vaccinations sites for the military around the country.

Among the seven categories of members to be vaccinated are health workers within the SANDF, members in military courses, members who are already deployed, and those who deploy them. 

"We are going to follow the national plan and vaccinate the most exposed members who will be given the first bite. Many people don't understand we are on the frontlines. We are at the borders, assisting the police with the lockdown, we attend to the sick and we are exposed to hospitals, so we have to have our members vaccinated," added Dlamini.

He said members who are deployed in other countries will also be prioritised in partnership with the United Nations. 

Dlamini refused to disclose how many SANDF members have contracted Covid-19 or how many have died since the start of the pandemic. 

Jacaranda News