Inter Press Service - April 6, 2000
Anthony Stoppard

Not so, says Ministry of Health spokesperson, Nothemba Dlali, "NGO's are seen as partners in the fight against Aids. Our National Aids Strategy is open to every person who wishes to take it into their organisations."

Ironically, says Heywood, "The vast majority of non- governmental organisations in the field of Aids support the government."

However, he says, the history of their response to the Aids pandemic has been a catalogue of errors. "And instead of admitting their errors, government has tried to defend them."

There have been a number of sharp differences between government and NGO's over the best way to combat the spread of Aids in South Africa.

For example, Aids activists have been calling for the government to provide anti-retroviral drugs to pregnant mothers with HIV, as they has been successfully used to reduce the transmission of the virus from the mother to the child.

The ministry of health has steadfastly refused on the grounds that it cannot afford to provide the drug to all who need it and that there are doubts about how effective it really is.

The ministry has commissioned a study into the effectiveness of retroviral drugs but the report is not yet completed.

The clash started when South African President, Thabo Mbeki, recently called for an inquiry into whether the HIV virus really causes Aids. Mbeki's call was prompted by the opinions of United States based scientists who think that the HIV virus may not be the cause Aids.

South African Aids researchers have reacted with disbelief to Mbeki's suggested line of inquiry and activists are concerned about the impact it may have on public awareness campaigns.

"In a volatile situation like the Aids pandemic, one has to make public statements with great caution," said Heywood, "especially to a population that would love to believe that HIV does not cause Aids."

It has since been claimed by the opposition Democratic Party that international scientists have threatened to boycott the bi- annual International Conference on Aids -- scheduled to be held in Durban in July this year -- because of Mbeki's contact with the "dissident" researchers. Up to 15 000 delegates are expected to attend the conference.

Dismissing the fuss, Dlali said: "The president has not disputed that HIV causes Aids, he has only said it needs to be looked into again. He has said that the intervention against Aids needs to be strengthened."

According to the South African Health Review (1999) an estimated 1.500 people are infected with the HIV virus a day and about 3.6 million South Africans already have the virus and will die in the next 10 years.

In a nutshell, NGO's feel that while government pays lip- service to their role in the fight against Aids, their experience and suggestions about how to stop the spread of HIV is in fact being ignored.

"Government murmurs behind curtains about NGO accountability. There are problems, but then government must set up systems to ensure that NGO's are accountable and deliver. And in return, they must listen to activists that have worked longer and on a more sustained basis against Aids than any other sector, including government."

"Non-governmental organisations are independent and it is healthy that they have their own opinions," observed Dlali, "Sometimes they do not understand what government is saying, but we are on track to intensify the fight against Aids."

In the meantime, the multi-national pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, has announced that it will provide a drug to combat cryptococcal meningitis -- an infection of the brain found in around eight percent of people with Aids -- for free in, South Africa.

The company is waiting for a date to meet government health officials to work out the practicalities of the offer. The Aids Action Campaign -- made up of Aids activists -- have been pressurising Pfizer to reduce the cost of the drug. The group has called on another pharmaceutical company which manufactures the anti-retroviral drug AZT, to make it available for free. (END/IPS/as/sm/00)
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