The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in South Africa was identified on 5 March 2020. Since then, the country has recorded more than 2.3million cases and at least 70,018 deaths related to the disease, although the real death toll could be more than twice as high. The government instituted one of the world’s strictest national lockdowns at the end of March 2020 to limit the spread of the disease, placing severe restrictions on movement, schooling, and trade. By the end of 2020, the economy had contracted by 7%, and the unemployment rate had grown to 32.5%. As of 26July 2021, more than 6.6 million South Africans had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with eligibility extended to anyone over the age of 35. At the same time, a third wave of COVID-19 is sweeping the country. Thousands of new cases and hundreds of deaths are identified each day. Against this background, how do ordinary South Africans perceive the pandemic, the lockdown, and COVID-19 vaccines? Findings from a new Afrobarometer survey show that South Africans consider themselves well-informed about COVID-19, and they are broadly supportive of the lockdown and school closures as necessary steps. But South Africans have struggled to comply with lockdown restrictions, and they believe that resources needed for the pandemic response were misappropriated by corrupt government officials. Most South Africans do not trust the government to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and a majority say they are unlikely to try to get vaccinated. Nearly half of respondents believe prayer is more effective at preventing COVID-19 transmission than a vaccine. For policy makers and civil society, these findings suggest that a successful vaccination campaign will require greater public awareness of the benefits of accepting approved COVID-19 vaccines, and they point to a need for greater accountability in the use of pandemic-related resources.
