Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association - April 20, 2005
This was heard during cross examination in the Johannesburg High Court where three women are claiming damages of R200 000 each against politician Patricia de Lille, journalist Charlene Smith and a publisher for revealing their names and HIV status in De Lille's autobiography.
The names of the three women and their HIV status had already been revealed in a report released by the university in 2001, Independent Democrats leader De Lille has said.
De Lille, Smith and New Africa Books admit that De Lille gave Smith the report, but submit that nothing in it was, or is, confidential. They oppose the claim.
However, University of Pretoria registrar Nicholas Grove said the report was made available to only two people, one of whom was De Lille. Elana van Vreden, Grove's secretary, also denied receiving a call from Smith, the book's co-writer, requesting a copy of the report.
HIV counsellor Elizabeth Maleka, who has been counselling the three complainants for over five years, gave evidence in court earlier on Tuesday, SABC reported.
She said she suggested to the women that they approach the university's legal clinic for advice pertaining to their complaints.
The three women are asking the court to order that their names be removed from all remaining copies of the book Patricia de Lille.
Maleka said De Lille's biography had harmed the lives of the three women. They suffered emotional, physical and psychological devastation, she said.
Maleka said it was difficult for her to restore the trust needed for any counselling session to be fruitful, after the women became aware that their status had been revealed.
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