Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - July 21, 2002
Stephen Whitford

She said the process of money allocation was done incorrectly, and according to the original agreement with the fund, the money should have been given to the national government.

"The Global Fund was trying to bypass the democratically elected government and put it (the money) in the hands of civil authorities," she said at a three-day SA National Aids Council youth sector summit in Benoni on the East Rand.

"Perhaps this is because the Fund does not trust governments elected by the people."

Tshabalala-Msimang said that when the Global Fund was formed, the developed countries who were providing most of the funding wanted to control where the money went. However, she said South Africa together with other developing countries fought hard to make control of the funds 50-50.

Tshabalala-Msimang said the developing countries also fought hard to ensure that money would be distributed to where it was most needed.

She criticised the organisation for only donating $5-million to Zimbabwe, while other countries like Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho and Namibia who also submitted proposals and are in need of financial backing, received nothing from the fund.

"It is embarrassing when the fund allocates $166-million to South Africa and only $5-million to Zimbabwe when other needy countries received nothing," Tshabalala-Msimang said.

With South Africa getting such a large grant, Tshabalala-Msimang said whispers had also begun to circulate in the fund as to why South Africa received so much while others received nothing.

She said it was important that the fund be used to uplift all countries with the $2-billion available being distributed amongst all those in need.

"As part of the African Union and as South Africans we need to be serious about sacrificing for the continent to ensure they are uplifted along with us in the fight against HIV."

Tshabalala-Msimang said the structural and operational problems of the Global Fund would have to be re-addressed before money could practically be distributed to countries benefiting from the fund.

"The CEO of the Global fund has only recently been appointed and with no administrative staff currently in place, the Global Fund still has structural and operational needs to addressed before any money will practically be seen," Tshabalala-Msimang said.

Proposals for the allocations of funds were to be resubmitted after funds were originally incorrectly allocated. Submissions would run from July to September as opposed to the 10 days allocated for the original proposals.

Southern African Development Countries' health ministers would also meet in November to address inconsistencies in the allocation of funds and other issues.

In March this year, governments around the world submitted applications for funding to combat Aids to the fund.

At the last minute, KwaZulu-Natal was asked by national government to withdraw its application, but when it attempted to do so, the fund ignored the request, and later hailed the application as one of the most exciting it had received.

This despite an African ministers of health's decision that any non-governmental organisation or other stake holder other than a national government that submitted a proposal should be rejected, Tshabalala-Msimang said.

News reports this week said the minister had jeopardised a R600-million donation from the Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria to KwaZulu-Natal's administration to fight HIV/Aids by allegedly insisting that the total R1,8-billion donation should rather be spread equitably among South Africa's nine provinces. - Sapa
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