Alongside debate on the availability of vaccines in South Africa, there is widespread concern about people’s willingness to be vaccinated. This briefing reports on findings from Round 3 of the University of Johannesburg (UJ)/Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Covid-19 Democracy Survey. This was conducted between 29 December 2020 and 6 January 2021. Only adults living in South Africa were included. We asked: ‘If a Covid-19 vaccine became available to you, would you take it?’ This was followed by an open-response question that allowed participants to explain their answer in their own words. Here we present key findings and offer critical insights into the public’s acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine. This report provides crucial information for the public health campaign that will need to precede and accompany the vaccine roll out.