NEW BRIGHTON, PORT ELIZABETH, 9 OCTOBER 2001
The Minister of Health;
Executive Mayor of Port Elizabeth;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen;
It is a great pleasure and an honour to be here with you today, to celebrate one of South Africa’s success stories - the third anniversary of the formation of the Partnership Against AIDS.
We believe that this partnership, launched by President Thabo Mbeki while he was still Deputy President on 9 October 1998, could be the reason for the success that has put AIDS awareness levels in the country at over 90%.
The Partnership Against AIDS was launched to ensure a broad-based and multi-sectoral societal response, based on the recognition that no single sector, ministry, department or organisation is solely responsible for addressing the HIV epidemic.
Ladies and gentlemen, the face of HIV/AIDS in South Africa has become more complex over the past 10 years. We are no longer only dealing with information and referrals, or pre- and post test counselling any more, but with people who are faced with the challenges of living with the disease.
We have to deal with issues of discrimination against people living with the disease and their families, and also have to face other socio-economic effects of the disease.
This necessitates more than ever before, the involvement of all sectors, from national, provincial to local level.
In the past, it was expected that government would provide all the resources and services through the public health system. In the new era of public-private partnerships, we have been privileged to be in a position to work with other sectors, including non-governmental and community-based organisations.
Whilst the concept of partnership has been variously understood, at its broadest level it involves expanding responsibility for managing the HIV/AIDS epidemic beyond formal health care settings and into various sectors and communities.
The South African National Aids Council (SANAC) leads a multi-sectoral strategy, which brings together different sectors of civil society and government, working to combat the disease at different levels, in true partnership spirit.
The sectors include business, labour, women, youth, disability sectors, traditional healers, traditional leaders and others.
As Government we are playing our part, guided by our five-year Strategic Plan for combating HIV/AIDS and other STDs. The Plan includes a range of interventions that have proved successful in other countries confronted with controlling the spread of HIV.
The strategy consists of four priority areas:
Preventing further HIV infections, through a combination of activities.
Treatment, care and support for those who are HIV-positive and those close to them.
Research and monitoring, including ongoing research into an AIDS vaccine.
Asserting the human and legal rights of all affected by HIV/AIDS.
Most South Africans will have encountered aspects of prevention strategies that aim to promote safe sexual behaviour and non-discriminatory behaviour against people living with HIV/AIDS. They will have seen the adverts and the street campaigns; the dramas on television and at schools and hostels; the free condoms in many expected and unexpected places.
Less recognized features of the prevention strategy include ensuring easily available, good quality treatment for all sexually transmitted diseases, in our free public clinics. The effectiveness of this intervention can be seen in the recorded decline in syphilis rates among pregnant women attending public clinics.
Prevention also includes addressing the safety of blood available for use in transfusions and expanding the services available for people to test their HIV status and to receive supportive counselling.
Research is perhaps the least visible of strategic priority areas, but it is funded and actively supported by government. This research covers many fronts - from the highly specialized research into AIDS vaccines, to the search for viable new approaches to treatment and care; to policy research and the kinds of surveys referred to above.
South Africa’s surveillance expertise is highly regarded and the ante-natal survey has been adopted as a model by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Today, we have witnessed the commitments from the national government departments for next year, and I will take note of all the commitments that were made. These should be turned into action.
Ladies and gentlemen, we believe there are many other activities in which people can participate in their different areas of influence, and there are a few new examples for this year.
The University of Stellenbosch and Medical University of Southern Africa (Medunsa) have become partners with the Presidency in producing a highly successful Post-graduate Diploma on HIV/AIDS in the World of Work, aimed at empowering managers. We invite the business sector to support these institutions in making the programme to continue to be successful.
We were also pleased by the entry of the media sector in the partnership fold. The South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) and Health-e news agency have become partners with the Department of Health and the Soul City Institute for Development, to launch a booklet for journalists on reporting HIV/AIDS.
This was a crucial intervention as communicating HIV/AIDS continues to be a serious challenge in our country. We valued the realisation of this by the media and their initiative in doing something about changing the manner in which the disease is reported. They have begun a process of sensitising journalists about, among other things, avoiding language that perpetuates stereotypes and which stigmatises those living with the disease.
We must also remember that many organisations have been involved in HIV/AIDS activities long before the partnership. These organisations provide the backbone to AIDS activities as well as examples of best practice.
Compatriots, this year’s international UNAIDS theme for World AIDS Day, 1 December 2001 is: "I care"do you?"
In line with the ‘Men Make a Difference’ theme of last year, the Campaign places the spotlight on the many ways in which men contribute to spreading HIV/AIDS, and also focuses on the powerful roles they can also play in combating it.
As the slogan implies, this year’s campaign challenges men everywhere to make a difference in the struggle against AIDS. It calls upon men to take action.
Part of the answer lies in men emerging from behind their veils of silence and fortitude. We are not saying men are not working hard to combat the disease.
We have excellent examples of men who lead by example, men in religious organisations, the sports fraternity, ordinary citizens and business people, who contribute in efforts of dealing with the disease. What we are saying is that we need more of such dedicated men.
None of this suggests an end to prevention programmes targeting women and girls. Rather, it complements those endeavours by recognizing that until men everywhere dare to care, the struggle against HIV/AIDS will only be half-won.
Ladies and gentlemen, I strongly believe that all of us gathered here could be active Partners Against AIDS.
There are people here who have power, connections and influence, who can reach out to stakeholders and constituent communities. They also have the resources that can be powerfully employed to make an impact in fighting HIV/AIDS. At the same time, we all have families, friends, relatives and neighbours. Let us use these connections and resources to combat HIV/AIDS.
Let us strengthen this Partnership Against Aids, and make 2001 the year in which we stand together in efforts to prevent new HIV infections, and in the creation of an environment in which care and support is provided to those who are both infected and affected.
By this time next year, when we gather to mark the fourth year of the partnership, I hope to hear that more stakeholders and sectors have joined the partnership, and that co-operation in fighting the disease has intensified.
We have come this far through working together, and together we can continue to make a difference. All our actions count.
I thank you.