Rhodes University has roped in internationally renowned clinical epidemiologist Prof Salim Abdool Karim to help defend its mandatory vaccination policy.

This comes in the wake of an application to the Makhanda high court by a group of individuals, including staff and two students, who are seeking an urgent interdict to prevent the institution from implementing its vaccine mandate.

Calling themselves Makhanda Against Mandates, the group has also launched a separate review application, asking the court to declare the policy unconstitutional and set it aside...