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) - April 4, 2002
He also unequivocally supported President Thabo Mbeki for a second term in office, saying he would not support any other candidate for the presidency of the ANC at its national congress to be held in December.
Interviewed on SAFM's Tim Modise show, Mandela said he believed Mbeki --who has been sharply criticised for among other things his policy on Aids and Zimbabwe -- was doing a marvellous job both at home and abroad.
He was speaking minutes before the Constitutional Court upheld a lower court's execution order that government should immediately provide nevirapine in state hospitals with capacity, even as it appeals an order to provide the drug nationwide.
Mandela was asked whether having made his point about free universal access to anti-retrovirals ,it was not time to retreat following the ANC's rejection of his views. "That's not a question from which I can retreat. When people are dying --babies, young people -- I can never be quiet. My stand is as I expressed it at the press conference," Mandela said.
"If I have to talk about HIV/Aids -- and I'm going to do so -- I will repeat exactly those points that I have made.
"He was referring to a press conference in Johannesburg last month, which in the presence of Deputy President Jacob Zuma and Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad, he called for people to be given the choice of access to anti-retrovirals.
"We can't afford to be conducting debates while people are dying. We have to ensure that our people are given the drugs which are going to help them. This is a war," he said then.
Mandela's call was discussed and rejected by the African National Congress at a national executive committee meeting last month.
Mandela would not be drawn on President Robert Mugabe's controversial re-election, but said he had declined a request from a Zimbabwean politician to persuade the president to step down after more than two decades in power. Mandela and Mugabe's relationship has never been solid, especially after the two leaders had a fallout over the Southern African Development Community organ on politics and security.
On the media, Mandela said South Africa was still faced with the problem of an unpatriotic press whose focus on the country's crime problem was deterring investors.
"Some of those (news)papers are conservative, or controlled by one ethnic group, and they don't want to praise South Africa."
However, he singled out the Sowetan newspaper for praise, saying it was doing "a remarkable job"."I support the Sowetan .... very fully, without reservations. It has become the mouthpiece of the previous voiceless people in the country, but you can't say that of all the press.
"Mandela emphasised that he welcomed an independent and courageous press, "that can criticise anyone of us, even if he is president".
"They criticised me a lot and I appreciated that, because I used the media -- even the conservative ones -- as a mirror from which I can see the image I'm projecting," he said.
020404
SA020403
Copyright © 2002 - South African Press Association. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the South African Press Association, Cotswold House, Greenacres Office Park, Cnr. Victory & Rustenburg Roads, VICTORY PARK, PO BOX 7766, JOHANNESBURG, 2000; Fax No: +27 11 782-1587/8, Tel No: +27 11 782-1600.
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, National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. 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, 2002. 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. .