Vaccine sceptics lose government case

A group of Covid-19 vaccination sceptics has lost a Windhoek High Court case directing the government to provide them with information on the safety and efficacy of vaccines against the novel virus. The Namibian reports that Health Defence League (HDL) and four members of the organisation lost their case in a judgment in which Deputy Judge President Hosea Angula found that it has not been shown that the HDL properly authorised the legal action taken in its name. The HDL and four of its members – Monika Ruppel, Manfred Förtsch, Werner Gertz and Paul du Plessis – wanted the court to order Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula to provide them with the source of information and also the information itself on which Shangula informed the Namibian public that Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective for people with chronic illness and that the vaccines prevents serious illness, hospitalisation and death from Covid-19.

Angula noted in his judgment that a resolution filed at the court recorded that the HDL steering committee authorised HDL chairperson Martin Wucher to ‘depose to all relevant affidavits’ in the matter. However, according to the HDL’s constitution, the organisation has only an executive committee and not a steering committee, Angula said. The Namibian notes that he also noted that the resolution filed at the court did not authorise Wucher to bring the application on the HDL’s behalf. The resolution was defective, Angula said. With respect to the four HDL members who were also applicants in the case, Angula said none of them stated that they requested information on Covid-19 vaccines from the government and that their requests were refused. They failed to show they were aggrieved persons and had the required legal standing to apply for the orders they asked the court to make, the judge found.