Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2005
Lucia Mutikani

The South African Business Coalition on HIV and AIDS (Sabcoha) said a survey conducted on its behalf by the Bureau for Economic Research had found that about 55 percent of mines, 46 percent of transport firms and 38 percent of manufacturers polled had suffered a drop in profits due to the pandemic.

South Africa -- the world's biggest producer of gold and platinum -- has the highest caseload of HIV in the world, with about one in nine of its 45 million people carrying the virus. The government has been criticised for failing to recognise the scope of the problem and for reacting too slowly.

But Sabcoha said most of the companies surveyed had indicated that the impact on profits was less than 2.5 percent. The findings were similar to the previous year's survey results.

"In terms of the impact on production costs, it appears as though HIV/AIDS has had the largest impact on labour productivity and worker absenteeism, followed by employee benefit costs," said Brad Mears, chief executive officer of Sabcoha.

The survey was carried out between July and August this year, covering the mining, manufacturing, retail, wholesale, motor trade, financial services, building and construction sectors. About 1,032 companies participated.

It found that 40 percent of manufacturers and transport companies and 60 percent of mines had lost experienced and skilled workers because of the pandemic.

STIGMA

Mears said companies employing semi-skilled and unskilled workers were the worst affected. Smaller companies had failed to respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

"While large companies, particularly those in the financial services and mining sectors, are actively intervening ... by means of a range of awareness and treatment programmes, the vast majority of small companies have yet to conduct a single awareness campaign," he said.

Awareness programmes were being undermined by the stigma attached to the disease, Mears said, adding that more than 75 percent of mining and financial services companies had reported having this problem.

Companies are spending millions of rand on treatment and awareness programmes.

"It is our hope that the state's rollout of anti-retroviral therapy, combined with the prevention and treatment initiatives offered by a number of large corporations, will help to reduce the stigma surrounding the disease and lead to an improvement in the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS policies and programmes," he said.

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