Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - Sunday July 21, 2002

After years of fighting against logic and morality and ignoring the pained voices of its people, the government had finally decided that it would play its part in the anti-Aids effort.

At the time, government officials conceded that the about-turn had been prompted by the fact that the state could no longer afford to be seen as uncaring in the face of a major catastrophe affecting its people.

They pledged that in addition to rolling out treatment for those living with Aids, the government would offer leadership in the fight against the disease. The government also wanted to "lend a hand of hope" to those who were affected in one way or another by Aids.

This newspaper was among those many South African institutions and people who applauded the volte-face. It was an admission of wrongness whose candour was rare even among the world's most established democracies.

But we are today sad to say South Africa has been let down by the people who were supposed to give that leadership and lend that hand of hope. President Thabo Mbeki has firmly refused to give leadership on the matter. He rarely speaks about the disease. When he does, it is a one-line mention of Aids in conjunction with other diseases.

We accept that the President may have his doubts about the causes and the impact of Aids. We also accept that there are other health issues that require the government's attention.

The reality, though, is that Aids is the issue that could render progress on all other fronts meaningless.

Mbeki has to cast aside whatever personal doubts he has about the disease and do what the South African nation elected him to do: lead.

Mbeki's failure to provide leadership has also led to a more immediate problem - the constant bumbling of Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.

Despite having some of the most capable and committed aides in her department, Tshabalala-Msimang seems to have missed the whole point of why she is referred to as the Minister of Health.

On at least two occasions, she has undermined the spirit and intention of the April 17 turnaround.

The most damaging of these was her telling a US journalist that the Constitutional Court was forcing her to feed her people poison by ordering the government to provide nevirapine to HIV-positive pregnant women.

Then, this week, she nearly sabotaged a UN grant in support of KwaZulu-Natal's anti-Aids war. Her tantrum over the grant showed that she really doesn't get the point.

While most South Africans would like to believe that the April 17 turnaround was more than just a public relations exercise, they have to be convinced. Mbeki has to act like the president of a country with a 20% Aids infection rate and lead this fight from the front.

As for Tshabalala-Msimang, questions must now be asked about whether she has the commitment to do what most South Africans would want their Minister of Health to do.

020721
ST020710

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. .