The Department of Health will soon be rolling out a vaccination certificate which will provide a secure and verifiable proof of vaccination.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said streamlining and standardising proof of vaccination will also go a long way towards getting a number of international travel restrictions both from and into the country eased.
The vaccination certificate, he said, can be used to facilitate travel, access to establishments and gatherings and other forms of activity that require proof of vaccination status.
"Our approach is informed by World Health Organization guidelines and is in line with international best practice," Ramaphosa said.
Getting vaccinated is also about preventing new and more dangerous variants from emerging, as the virus is able to spread and mutate in unvaccinated populations.
The United Kingdom imposed a travel ban on South Africans by red listing the country.
"This has put us in a disadvantaged position, since the United Kingdom is South Africa’s biggest source of tourism from the northern hemisphere and a significant trading partner.
"While UK scientists were concerned about the presence of the Beta variant in South Africa, the reality is that the Delta variant is now by far the dominant variant in the country.
Earlier today I had a call with the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss this matter. I put South Africa’s case to him, which he understood very well," Ramaphosa said.
Since the launch of the vaccination drive over 17 million vaccine doses have been administered.
Political Bureau