Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times, South Africa - Sunday, December 27, 1998
Bareng-Batho Kortjaas and S'Thembiso Msomi
Health worker Gugu Dlamini, 36, of KwaMancinza, near Durban, died after being assaulted by a mob who accused her of degrading her neighbourhood by disclosing that she had the disease.
Health workers this week described her killing as "sheer stupidity" and "a barbaric act".
In his Christmas message to the nation on Thursday - the day of Dlamini's burial - Deputy President Thabo Mbeki singled out AIDS as one of his greatest concerns for the future.
Yesterday he said Dlamini's death illustrated the attitude that existed against people with HIV and AIDS.
"It is a terrible story. We have to treat people who have HIV with care and support, and not as if they have an illness that is evil."
Mbeki said he hoped some good would come of the incident in that the publicity could serve to explain to people that AIDS was not evil. "This is a message that needs to be spread to as many people as possible," he said
Friends accuse the police of not responding to threats against Dlamini on the day of her death.
Zandile Sibiya, a nurse, said Dlamini had been threatened repeatedly by other KwaMancinza residents who felt her openness about her affliction had given the area a bad reputation.
She said that on the day of the attack, Dlamini had been slapped and punched by a man who had asked her why she had gone public about her status when there were a lot of others like her in the area who kept quiet about it.
"We phoned the police station and reported the incident but they never came. After we waited for hours for the police, Dlamini returned home. The mob attacked her at night. They stoned, kicked and beat her with sticks.
"But I believe her death could have been prevented had the police responded to our call about the initial assault."
As a volunteer fieldworker for the National Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS, Dlamini addressed communities about how to avoid the disease. She took up the position a month ago after testing HIV positive more than a year ago.
She also disclosed her status late last month on Radio Ukhozi.
Khangalani Hlongwane, a spokesman for the Minister of Health, Nkosazana Zuma, yesterday described the killing as a deplorable act, and urged people to continue to be open about their HIV status as it played an important role in the AIDS awareness campaign.
Dave McGlew, spokesman for the KwaZulu-Natal health department, said the attack was "sheer stupidity".
"Keeping it a secret that you are infected makes the virus spread faster. This killing is not going to sweep the spread of HIV and AIDS under the carpet. It also shows that a lot of work needs to be done to develop a culture of open disclosure."
Pat Hlongwane, spokesman for the National Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS, said his organisation regarded Dlamini's murder as a challenge to strengthen the fight against the scourge of AIDS.
"We have been urging infected people to come forward all this time and this is the treatment they get. But . . . we will carry on with our struggle to prevent the disease from spreading."
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