PRESIDENTIAL GUEST HOUSE 29 NOVEMBER 2000
Distinguished captains of commerce and industry, esteemed business executives and professionals from various sectors - fellow South Africans, It is with great pleasure that I welcome you this morning.
A lot has been said and written about the problem of HIV/AIDS in our country and continent in recent times. We have all seen the projections put out by various experts outlining the effect that this pandemic will have on various aspects of our lives in the coming years.
We are all now in agreement that our country is facing a deadly enemy that threatens to engulf us if we don't find a solution soon. There are various initiatives in place currently to search for solutions, including a search for an AIDS vaccine and affordable drugs.
In addition to these, government has put in place various initiatives aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of HIV/AIDS amongst South Africans.
We believe that government's awareness campaign has been a success and awareness levels are currently estimated at well over 90%.
In spite of this, however, the reported increase in the number of HIV infections remains high. The invading army that is HIV/AIDS marches on unchecked in its path of destruction.
The question we have to ask ourselves now is whether we are doing all we can to win this war. Clearly there is a need to change our approach and what this means is that South Africans themselves now have to take the lead, as individuals and as various formations of society.
Government has the responsibility to ensure the well being of all citizens, but the war against HIV/AIDS cannot be won without the personal involvement of all South Africans. The challenge in terms of resources required, be it financial or human, is too enormous to be left to government alone.
We therefore appeal to you to pledge your support for this project and to work with us to save our people and our country. AIDS threatens to undo all the progress we have made together in the past six years in rebuilding our society - and we cannot stand by and allow that to happen.
The Vukani video presentation you have just seen clearly illustrates these challenges, therefore I will not go into the details of the destruction that can be caused by a lack of collective action amongst South Africans.
I will however say that this campaign aims to start a movement against AIDS, reaching out to each and every South African, through the use of classical advertising media and programmes that target people in all sectors, both in rural and urban areas.
We are happy that you have responded to our call to join us in our war against HIV/AIDS, by being here this morning. We believe that the pooling of resources between the public and private sectors can only serve to strengthen our response to the pandemic. We are also humbled that you accepted our invitation and we take this opportunity to thank you for your support for the national effort against this scourge. We recognise your good corporate citizenship and your patriotism.
The implications of HIV/AIDs are immense for commerce and industry and the economy as such. It is hugely encouraging to learn of the various activities within the business sector directed at tackling this problem.
Your support is critical to the success of this campaign and the success of our fight against HIV/AIDs and I appeal to you to pledge your support and to stand by it. Our success will be your triumph also - and that of every South African.
I would like to take this opportunity to make a plea to all South Africans to take up this fight - for the sake of our children.
I appeal especially to that powerful sector of our society, our media, to join us in keeping the message about HIV/AIDS alive. You have, at your disposal, one of the most powerful tools to spread the message to all South Africans. Let this be your greatest contribution in this process to rebuild our nation and our country. I thank all of you for your attendance this morning and, in particular, I want to thank The Agency for arranging this meeting and Multimed, who have kindly sponsored this event.
Thank you.