South Africa's former Deputy President Jacob Zuma called on the government to increase access to AIDS drugs and dispel perceptions that it was promoting nutritional supplements as an alternative to treatment.

An estimated 5,5-million South Africans, or one in nine, are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to government figures. Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has urged AIDS sufferers to eat more beetroot and garlic to strengthen their immune systems and has backed the use of traditional medicines to help combat the disease.

“We cannot afford any mixed messages or ambiguity when it comes to the scourge of HIV and Aids,” Zuma told a labor union conference in Midrand near Johannesburg today. "We must ensure that we support calls to ensure that such treatment is accessible and to monitor its correct distribution.''

The government on May 17 said about 134 000 AIDS sufferers had applied for treatment at state-owned health-care facilities and a further 80 000 at private hospitals. The Actuarial Society of South Africa estimates more than a half million are so sick they need treatment.

Zuma has been trying to resurrect his political career since being fired by President Thabo Mbeki on June 2 last year, after a court found that his political adviser Schabir Shaik tried to secure bribes on his behalf. Zuma has been charged with two counts of corruption and his trial is due to resume on Sept. 5.

Subsequent to being fired, Zuma was also charged with - and acquitted of -- raping an HIV-positive family friend half his age. Zuma testified they had had consensual sex without a condom and he showered afterward to minimize his chances of becoming infected.

“Being faithful, and the use of condoms and practicing safe and protected sex should be central message that we send to our people,” Zuma said today.

South Africa's ruling African National Congress defended the country's strategy to combat AIDS, saying it had insufficient resources to implement programs similar to those in richer nations, with lower infection rates.

“Adopting a model which focuses exclusively on anti-retroviral therapy would not solve our problem,” it said in a article published on its Internet site today. “We said that since there is still no cure or effective vaccine for HIV and AIDS, let us focus on the first element of our response.”

Free AIDS drug are available at 231 hospitals and clinics in 71% of the country's municipalities, the party said.