An organisation that resorted to court in a bid to have Rhodes University’s Covid-19 mandatory vaccine requirement set aside has thrown in the towel.

In its notice to the Eastern Cape High Court (Makhanda) withdrawing the application to review and set aside the mandatory vaccine policy, Makhanda Against Mandates indicated it would pay the university’s wasted legal costs.

A Daily Dispatch report says the organisation also failed in its bid in February to get an interim interdict prohibiting the university from proceeding with its vaccine mandate pending the outcome of the organisation’s application to have the decision set aside.

Rhodes welcomed its decision to drop its application.

Spokesperson Veliswa Mhlope said about 98% of the university community had been vaccinated and the university had been able to ‘incrementally return to normal operations’.

‘The objective is to achieve a full return to normal on-campus activities, balanced with protection of Rhodes University and the greater Makhanda communities,’ she said.

She added it was regrettable the university had to incur costs in opposing the litigation, which would have been better used in the academic endeavour.

Full Daily Dispatch report