Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association (Johannesburg) - March 21, 2002
She made the statement at a rally at the Alexandra stadium in Johannesburg where the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) and other organisations met to commemorate Human Rights Day by highlighting the plight of people living with Aids.
"You see, we all know that there are unanswered questions about HIV and Aids, but my party and my government has said over and over again that based on the present knowledge, we are working on the premise that HIV does cause Aids," she said.
She said the government was also implementing a five-year strategic plan in response to the epidemic.
"The plan is based on five major pillars, which are prevention, treatment, care and support, human rights and legal issues, monitoring, research and surveillance and targeting the youth as a specific group for all our interventions," she said.
With regards to anti-retroviral drugs, Tshabalala-Msimang said the drugs was registered for use in the country but could not be provided in the public health system because "of prohibitive costs and complexity of management, with disastrous consequences in instances of non-compliance, which is quite common in managing diseases such as TB".
While remembering the days of apartheid, Tshabalala-Msimang said she sometimes thought that the discrimination suffered under that regime could not be compared to discrimination against people living with Aids.
"You must forgive me when I sometimes think that the discrimination we all suffered under apartheid was nothing when compared by the discrimination and prejudice that is suffered by those who are infected by HIV and Aids," she said.
The minister called on South Africans to stop the discrimination and work towards minimising the Aids epidemic.
"Above all, we must care for each other and be reminded, especially on Human Rights Day, to stop any kind of discrimination against each other," she said.
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