South African Press Association - February 7, 2007
Richard Davies

Briefing Parliament's select committee on economic and foreign affairs, the chamber's chief executive, Mzolisi Diliza, told members that while the disease had a huge impact on the industry, intervention strategies now mean that up to 94% of workers being treated are returning to work.

"The 94% figure is very important because it shows that with intervention you are able to prolong the working life of mineworkers," he said.

Diliza said between 40% and 45% of workers in the industry who need treatment for HIV are receiving it. The sector employs about 450 000 people, many from countries bordering South Africa.

According to his colleague, chamber executive Frans Barker, the HIV-prevalence rate among the country's 170 000 gold miners -- close to half of whom are foreign workers -- is between 23% and 24%.

Speaking after the briefing, he said antiretroviral (ARV) therapy programmes instituted by chamber members are proving effective.

"The impact [of Aids] on productivity in the past was big; we were losing skills. The success of therapy ... has certainly been worthwhile," Barker told the South African Press Association.

Contacted for further comment on the issue, chamber health adviser Dr Fazel Randera said the situation in the industry with regard to HIV and Aids is very different now compared with the late 1990s when ARV treatment first became available.

"There was a doom-and-gloom time back then when people spoke of productivity being affected. It is very difficult now to say that is a trend that has been followed," he said.

Mining companies have embarked on "wellness programmes" for workers, including setting targets for convincing workers to know their HIV status.

One Mpumalanga coal mine is now in a position where 95% of its workers know their HIV status. Among other mining companies, the figure is 75%.

As a result HIV infection is being detected -- and managed -- earlier.

"In the past, CD4 counts were 50 to 100. The programmes have changed this, and we're now catching it much earlier, with CD4 counts of between 150 and 200."

CD4 counts are used by doctors as an indicator to help them decide when to begin treatment of HIV patients.

Randera said on certain mines "every person who should be on treatment is on treatment".

Across the sector, sickness and absenteeism associated with the disease is down.

On HIV-prevalence rates in the industry, he said the gold mines are worst hit, with between 23% and 24% percent of workers HIV positive. In the platinum sector the figure is between 20% and 24 percent%, and the coal and diamond mines were "much lower".

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