Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - July 15, 2005
Marianne Merten
In a statement from New York, the organisation's Jonathan Cohen called the police action a "shocking irony", adding that "South Africa should be easing the suffering of people with Aids, not violently dispersing peaceful demonstrations".
Police used batons and boots to evict the TAC protesters from the corridors of Queenstown's Frontier Hospital before opening fire on them with rubber bullets and tear gas, according to the TAC.
The TAC in the Eastern Cape has sought legal advice after 54 members were injured. One required an overnight stay at the same hospital when Tuesday's protest by 700 activists, many HIV-positive, turned nasty.
The demonstrators were demanding the speedy expansion of the government's antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in the Eastern Cape, which is providing ARVs to less than 5 000 Aids patients. More than 50 000 people in the province are thought to need them.
But the TAC will return on Monday for feedback on the memorandum of demands presented to the Frontier Hospital management, including the enrolment of at least 20 people a month for ARV therapy and permission for TAC officials to participate in the hospital's ARV meetings.
On July 26 it will march through Queenstown to protest against unnecessary HIV deaths and police brutality. "We didn't expect this; everyone is angry. We will continue to demand our rights," said TAC district organiser Mziwethu Faku.
Faku insisted the demonstrators had the traffic department's permission to enter the hospital premises. It took more than two hours to hand over the memorandum.
"The police and the hospital CEO met on the sidelines -- police left the hospital and returned later. They beat us with donkiepiels [donkey penises -- batons]" and kicked us. The protest moved outside and police fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Not a single TAC member responded to the violence."
Eastern Cape health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said no one was informed of the march. "The demonstrators were wrong to invade the hospital. The patients and department staff were under threat. We don't operate this way; we're not a Banana Republic."
Queenstown police spokesperson Superintendent Gcinikaya Taleni said hospital managers called police, who repeatedly asked demonstrators to disperse. "They were blocking every service [at the hospital]. We had to use rubber bullets to disperse them."
The ongoing conflict over the government's comprehensive treatment plan comes as the health department this week put the number of HIV-positive South Africans at between 6,29-million and 6,57-million -- almost two million more than Statistics SA figures.
050715
MG050702
Copyright © 2005 - Daily Mail & Guardian. For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2005. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2005. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .