On Monday, the police initiated a Covid-19 vaccination campaign at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg. Bheki Cele, the Minister of Police, and General Khehla Sitole, the National Commissioner of Police, were among the many officers who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, the Acting Health Minister, was also present to observe the proceedings. More than 180 000 people will be vaccinated at 108 locations across the country, according to the police.

The first program will begin on Thursday, July 8th. Cele said the sector was overjoyed that the program had finally arrived before getting his jab.

“I assume it’s been a lovely morning for the SAPS family. We are completely overjoyed. This was a day we had been looking forward to. We’ve been working hard to get to this point. It’s been a hard journey to [get] here, especially for the SAPS family…”

However, he expressed disappointment and sadness that the immunization program had reached the sector after the virus had claimed the lives of 672 people. Cele estimated that 30 000 of the 32 500 sick members had recovered.

“Starting with myself and the national commissioner, 900 of us will be injected today. And we feel that will assist this SAPS family in being able to operate and be protected so that we can safeguard others.”

He said that he hoped the program would be quick and that all members of the public across the country would follow the advice to be vaccinated.

The distribution to the police sector, according to Kubayi-Ngubane, is a watershed moment in the country’s immunization program. She went on to say that the Department of Health would soon publish the dates for metro police and penitentiary officers to take their turn.

“This is a watershed moment as the country approaches herd immunity. As you may have noticed, a lot of progress has been made in the vaccine program, with Sahpra last week announcing the approval of Sinovac as well. Which is one of the things that boost our morale and encourage us to continue with our vaccine program since it implies we now have a variety of vaccines to choose from.”

The department continued to engage scientists on utilizing the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to Kubayi-Ngubane, albeit there was still some skepticism regarding its usage.

After arriving in February, South Africa sold its AstraZeneca vaccinations in March. It was not effective for the 501Y.V2 variation, according to News24. Kubayi-Ngubane commended all parties involved, especially the medical aid system Polmed, for working together to get the rollout started.

Neo Khauoe, Polmed’s chief executive, said the scheme had spent R1.2 billion on hospital bills, tests, and screenings. She went on to say that before the rollout, the scheme provided vitamins to its participants to help improve their immune systems.

“We’re looking at roughly R300 million for the vaccine if all or the majority of our members get vaccinated, with the goal of assisting [the Department of Health] and the country in achieving herd immunity.

Since the inception of the deadly virus in Wuhan, China 2019, many theories and fake news have been doing the rounds and confusing people across the globe since then; and up to this very moment, nothing has changed.

While police Minister Bheki Cele was receiving his jab, South Africans could not hold themselves but watched the entire process with their binoculars, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. Some say Cele was too scared and sweating, while others say the vaccine made him weak and vulnerable. However, only Cele knows why he felt.

“We’re looking at spending R300 million with 60 percent of our members vaccinating.”

According to Khauoe, 140 000 of the 180 000 police officers were Polmed members.

“Over 170,000 people have joined Polmed. Because SAPS provides post-retirement coverage, 30 000 of these 170 000 members are continuation members.

“So, in Polmed, we have retired police, medically boarded officers, and dependents of dead heroes, which is why you will have 30 000 continuation members, but 140 000 active SAPS members.”

She urged members to visit websites and avoid false information about immunizations.

“If you work for SAPS and are an active member, regardless of whether you are a Polmed or Gems member, please attend those immunization sites. There are 108 of them in total. There’s no need to register; you’ve already done so, and all you have to do now is show up and get your shot.”

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union and the South African Police Union both applauded the move and urged all members to “hear the call” and get vaccinated.

“For our people to get vaccinated and able to conduct their work without fear throughout the pandemic has been a long-awaited moment,” said Sapu president Thandi Mkhize.

Bheki Cele and his lieutenants still have a lot to do; as the country is watching them like a hawk, as to when will they arrest former president Jacob Zuma.

Former President Jacob Zuma has been declared the winner by Police Minister Bheki Cele and SAPS national commissioner Lieutenant-General Khehla Sitole. Furthermore, the police action confirms the ex-long-standing president’s delay in the Arms Deal corruption controversy, which has been aided by legal strategy and methods that have served him well for more than a decade.

It was all about the timing, according to Cele and Sitole, now that Zuma has filed court applications to interdict his arrest, which is set for Tuesday in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, and to have his 15-month contempt of court jail term and conviction revoked, which is set for Monday, July 12 in the Constitutional Court.

To put it another way, Cele and Sitole feel they won’t be able to act until all legal processes have been completed, which could include a request for Zondo to disqualify himself from the rescission case.

When the Pietermaritzburg High Court meets, the full consequence of Cele and Sitole’s decision to postpone any moves toward Zuma’s arrest will be apparent. On Tuesday, the court may just hold a brief hearing to inform the court of the police authorities’ decision and to decide what to do with part B, the constitutional challenge to the Criminal Procedure Act.

The decision by Cele and Sitole comes a day after Zuma supporters gathered outside his Nkandla residence to criticize the SAPS for failing to act against infractions of Covid-19 lockdown laws. This gentle attitude contrasted sharply with the heavy-handed, frequently fatal police response to community and student protests.