Speech by Northern Cape MEC for Health Shiwe Selao at the Partnership Against AIDS event in Mier, Siyanda District

Mayors and Councillors
Colleagues on my Senior Management Team
Members of the Religious Sector
Representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
Partners in the private sector
Government officials
Members of the Mier Community
And all partners in the fight against AIDS

I wish you a warm welcome for making the effort to be here. We know that Mier is far lying and is often left out of the hub of activity. There are also many challenges here in Mier, including the abuse of alcohol, stigmatisation of people diagnosed with HIV and AIDS as well as very poor involvement of stakeholders in the fight against HIV and AIDS. And it is for this reason in particular that we have brought the 'Partnership Against HIV and AIDS' event to you.

This is no ordinary event, nor is it simply another awareness day. Instead today is about building and shaping an 'AIDS free' future because the danger of HIV and AIDS is real, it is amongst us and it continues to spread. We therefore have to join hands to save our nation, as this is the only way we can win against HIV and AIDS. Since the National Strategic Plan for HIV, AIDS and STIs 2007 to 2011 was launched in April this year by our Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the campaign around 'Partnerships' has been intensified and strengthened, at the same time creating greater expectations for the development of stronger partnerships.

This is because the new plan emphasizes the importance of community participation and sectoral involvement in the fight against HIV and AIDS in South Africa and is also very clear in stating that the only way that the fight against HIV and AIDS can be won is through partnerships.

It was on this basis that the South African National AIDS Council (Sanac) was re-launched with many more partners serving on the team.

Another sign of government's high level of commitment is that the Deputy Chairperson of this council is AIDS activist, Mark Heywood, who is also a member of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC).

It is no secret that government and the TAC did not always see eye to eye but the very fact these two bodies have managed to put aside their differences to work hand in hand with the same target in mind, is highly significant of the extent to which government has gone to build a strong and unified army that will have the capacity to wage an attack on HIV and AIDS.

This relationship is also a significant partnership and should serve as an example to all other organizations, institutions and businesses, because HIV and AIDS are greater than any enemy which has come before and is impossible to defeat single handily.

The targets of the new National Strategic Plan are also very high. In fact, many people say they are overly ambitious. However, we should not permit mediocrity in a task as critical to 'life-saving' as the struggle against HIV and AIDS.

Based on this very premise, we will therefore have to embrace the philosophy of partnerships, because only if we work together will these goals be achievable.

In the Northern Cape, under the Premier's leadership, the provincial AIDS Council is carrying out this mandate and consists of representatives from all sectors including mining, business and civil society.

A significant sub-committee of the council is the Inter-Departmental Committee comprising of all Heads of Departments (HODs) and chaired by the HOD of Health. This committee makes input on the work done by departments.

Other partners include well-established organisations who work hand in hand with the department to provide support, such as Right to Care, which is funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAIDS).

The council is very, very active in the implementation of the AIDS programme and there is a lot of commitment expressed by our partners serving on the council through NGOs. They are an extension of our Home Based Care Programme which is starting to lean towards businesses and the mining sector.

In fact, the Premier is so passionate about seeing more involvement from the private sector - particularly the mining sector - which the AIDS Council is in the process of organising a meeting between the two parties whereby a clearer strategy will be sought. This is being co-ordinated by De Beers.

This is because the most important challenge facing South Africa and the World today with regard to HIV and AIDS is the prevention of new infections and unless we intensify our efforts as individuals, as communities, and as united fronts, many more people face the danger of being infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. On a positive note, much has already been achieved by various stakeholders, including faith-based organisations, the business sector, as well as non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations who fulfil a critical role in terms of providing Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) and home based care.

And as a department, we have also co-ordinated a number of provincial summits in order to assist sectors to align their contribution to the management of the HIV and AIDS situation in the province.

Of mention are the Community Health Workers Summit, the Traditional Health Practitioners Summit and the Faith-Based Organisations Summit held earlier this year.

Government's relationship with National Association of People living with AIDS (Napwa) has further put us in a very good position in terms of the involvement of people living with AIDS because most prevention programmes require that we work with the infected, especially to assist us in the running of disclosure campaigns for the eradication of the stigma.

In this regards, we thank Napwa who is committed to establishing more support groups in the Northern Cape which will most definitely assist in destigmatising the disease.

This joint effort between all sectors of society clearly signifies our commitment towards eradicating HIV and AIDS from our communities and re-establishing good health and well-being amongst all our people.

However, as far as we may have come, we are not yet where we should be in destroying the AIDS monster that brings us to mourning along gravesides week after week. We must thus use this meeting to rededicate ourselves to the fight against HIV and AIDS and to recommit ourselves to providing support and care to those who are living with the disease and also their loved ones.

As the theme for this year is 'Stop AIDS, Recommit yourself,' let me therefore urge you to start by making a promise to yourself that you will get tested for HIV, as I myself have done and will continue to do on a regular basis.

It is essential that you know your status so that if you are HIV negative you can change your lifestyle to protect yourself and to ensure that you stay HIV negative.

And if you are HIV positive, you should adapt your lifestyle in such a way that you protect yourself from re-infection. You should also try and live as healthily as possible, by getting regular exercise and eating fruits and vegetables.

We should commit ourselves to talking to our youth, to encourage them to live healthy lifestyles by abstaining from sexual activity until they are old enough to understand the gravity of their actions. We should also commit to be faithful to our partners and to make use of condoms at all times, as infidelity is fuelling the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Furthermore, we should remember that in the Northern Cape alone, thousands of HIV positive people have already gone through our assessment sites, and we have a number of clients currently on Anti Retroviral Treatment - all of them in need of support. Hence, we should not forget that the emphasis is on fighting the disease, not the people.

Let us also keep in mind that currently our country is experiencing great prospects of success and economic growth and that 2010 is just around the corner.

In fact, only on Friday our national Minister for Health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, was in Kimberley to address the Fifa delegation on the Health Department's preparedness and to announce the budget that will enable the provision of world-class emergency medical services.

Let us thus strive to live long enough so that we can realise our dreams and form a part of the historical soccer tournament that we have all been waiting for.

In closing, let me once again ask for support from each and everyone of you here today. Your age, your sex, your HIV status, your social standing, your race and your religious beliefs are not important to me.

All that counts is your willingness to join in the struggle because in the end, that is all that will make an impact in the raging war against HIV and AIDS and ultimately in the lives of our people.

Thank you

Issued by: Department of Health, Northern Cape Provincial Government
8 October 2007