PARK STATION, JOHANNESBURG, 1 DECEMBER 2000
Today we meet as the "Partnership Against HIV/AIDS". We meet as commuters and as activists in the transport sector who have one great goal in mind: to raise AIDS awareness in Gauteng and beyond to new levels, and to start making an impact that really changes people's behaviour.
Let me extend a warm welcome to all of you - and, in particular, to our partners in this project: the South African Rail Commuter Corporation, Intersite, Metrorail, Spoornet and the Gauteng Government. We are all committed to this struggle. The only questions we have to ask ourselves today are these: "Have we thought of every possible way to intensify and focus our efforts so that they hit the right people in the right ways? So that the message spreads outwards in wider and wider circles, reaching men, women and children in our all cities and all our rural areas? How can we make sure that everyone, everywhere, is talking about HIV-AIDS every day - to their partners and lovers, to their workmates, to their families and their friends? What must still be done to break down the walls of silence, prejudice and fear?
The UNAIDS Campaign recently reported that by the end of 1999, some 36 million people worldwide were living with HIV. It estimated that 25 million of these people were in sub-Saharan Africa, and that, of these, 4.2 million were living here, amongst us, in South Africa - more than 10% of our total population. We also know that despite the best efforts of government and civil society to increase levels of HIV/AIDS awareness amongst the population, prevention and care are not keeping pace with the infection rate.
This is the challenge we face. I don't need to tell you how serious it is. But we must meet it head on, and we must overcome it. We cannot wait for a cure. We must be more imaginative and creative in our approach. And we must clearly state our goal. Let us commit ourselves, first to stabilise, then to halt, then to turn back the rate of infection - and to do so within three years. We can achieve this if all of us - and especially men and young people - agree to change our behaviour. Now.
Our transport network offers us a potent weapon in this battle. It moves millions of people every day, both within our country and across our borders. These movements can either continue to widen the reach of the HIV virus or they can become powerful channels for spreading information, knowledge and understanding.
Do we grasp the importance of this? In the arteries of our transport system we have millions of people interacting directly, face-to-face, every day. Each rail commuter, each bus or taxi passenger, each truck driver, can either be part of the problem or become part of the solution. We are in close touch with each other, and we are a potential army of millions of AIDS activists. If we do things right, and if we act together, we can reach into the heart of every home in this country. We have a weapon in our hands that can smash the HIV virus.
As national and provincial government, and through the efforts of our transport Agencies, we have already taken the first steps. Our involvement in Aids education and awareness includes policy formulation, outreach programmes, educational projects and workplace awareness and sensitisation campaigns.
But we need to go further, to get more organised, to raise the tempo of our actions. It is with this in mind that we have identified key areas within the transport industry that are in urgent need of intensified action. To make the required impact in these areas, we urgently need to put together a concerted, integrated communication campaign aimed at moving every South African beyond the current basic level of awareness towards full personal responsibility and an activist commitment to the struggle.
If I am talking as if we are in a war it is because that's the fact. We are in a war, but one that is made more difficult by the fact that we can't see the enemy. In this silent war, without gunfire and explosions, we have already lost thousand of lives. We stand to lose millions more, at huge cost to our economy and to all our plans for a better life for all. There is no option but to win. Therefore we must plan and organise exactly as we would if our country were being invaded by a hostile power.
Yesterday, Premier Mbhazima Shilowa set the scene for us by inviting all our commuters and other users of the station to come here today and be part of this campaign. We welcome you all and we ask you to join us. Metrorail moves over 2,2 million people daily. This very station where we are - Park Station - is used by over 300 000 people every day. Feel your strength. Feel the power of our unity. HIV/AIDS directly helps us to find this unity. It does not discriminate. It does not care about race, gender, religion, or sexual preference. It is not a gay disease, or a black disease, or a white disease. Women, men and children of all races and creeds can become HIV positive. Therefore women, men and children of all races and creeds can join together to uproot the virus from our society.
As we learn to fight together, we learn better how to treat our fellow human beings who are living with AIDS. In so doing, we learn more about ourselves. We gather courage to share our doubts and fears, to come closer together and to show that we care. The very theme that we are putting forward today, on World Aids Day, at Park Station, is "Africa we Care".
Our program today is all about caring and taking responsibility. But it is also about enjoying life. We will have many different kinds of entertainment, and we will also have the opportunity to learn from one another. We will hear testimony from People Living With Aids. We will watch community acts and listen to choirs. Condoms and pamphlets will be distributed. We have trained counsellors here to advise people about where to go for one-on-one counselling about HIV/AIDS.
So, now that we are all gathered here together, let's celebrate and enjoy each other's company. But let us all leave here determined to become fully informed about HIV/AIDS and 100% committed to safe sexual behaviour. Let us make a promise to ourselves to challenge and educate every single person we can influence who has not yet got the message and changed their lifestyle - even if this is difficult and they may get angry with us. Let us give ourselves strength by acting together with workmates, friends and family members who have got the message and made the change. Together we are strong. Together nothing can stop us.
I thank you.