The United Nations Children’s Fund says it supports the decision to vaccinate children between 12 and 17-years-old.
The health ministry announced late last week, that from Wednesday, the country’s teenagers can get the jab.
The teens don’t need their parents’ permission to get vaccinated.
It is a move that has drawn criticism from some quarters.
The UN Children’s Fund is urging South Africans to get vaccinated so the country reaches herd immunity.
“It is very important for a majority of the population to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order for us to reach herd immunity,” said Christine Muhigana, Unicef SA representative.
“South Africa wants to reach 70% of vaccinated people at the end of this year, which would be a threshold for the protection of the population.”