Summary
Many lawyers and executives justify vaccine mandates using Section 36 of South Africa’s Bill of Rights, which allows rights to be limited if reasonable and justifiable in a democratic society. This includes factors like the importance of the limitation’s purpose and the availability of less restrictive means. However, these mandates promote unproven SARS-CoV-2 vaccines without informed consent, raising concerns about health, dignity, bodily integrity, and freedom of choice. Reports released in January and March 2022 found that vaccine mandates failed to meet Section 36’s criteria, showing the vaccines’ ineffectiveness in preventing infection, transmission, severe illness, or death. The legal question posed is whether any entity has the authority to limit human rights without a law of general application enacted by the government.