Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - August 17, 2003
In A country of nearly 12-million employees, the tremendous challenges business faces in dealing with the HIV/Aids epidemic are in the mining, transport and agricultural sectors - as well as in small, medium and micro-enterprises.
In the small business sector, companies don't have the ability or resources to launch HIV/Aids programmes, says Gaby Magomola, chairperson of the South African Business Coalition on HIV/Aids (Sabcoha).
He says big business clearly has a responsibility to collaborate with these sectors. The coalition has nearly 30 major corporate companies as members, who employ tens of thousands of workers. It is designed to share best practices in the care and support of HIV/Aids sufferers and is moving rapidly towards establishing partnerships with government and civil society to provide such services.
In his annual report, Magomola makes the point that as little as 1% of industry and commerce is acting in an informed, collaborative way with regard to the HIV/Aids pandemic. He says this is changing.
At the micro level, business is facing issues such as increasing medical benefits, absenteeism and lower productivity levels. At the macro level, maximising economic growth is being impeded by the incidence of HIV/Aids.
Eskom's R30-million commitment to the development of an HIV/Aids vaccine - in addition to vast expenditure on its own workforce - is a good example of corporate involvement, says Magomola.
His organisation supports the government decision to roll out a national antiretroviral treatment programme.
"This is a major step for the country, although the logistics associated with this decision can be a nightmare because of issues such as toxicity, the side effects, and the testing and monitoring of, particularly, rural people."
He says the business coalition is discussing plans to use field workers to collaborate with workers and their communities and with sex workers serving them. The purpose of this direct intervention is to change sexual behaviour patterns, particularly among people who are not infected with the virus.
A possible pilot programme may target specific areas in the transport industry or mining community.
"We need to be working along side communities while rolling out antiretroviral drugs and HIV awareness campaigns in a collaborative way."
He says funding for such a programme needs to come from Sabcoha members, the donor community and possibly the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria. Collaboration with NGOs and faith-based groups is also necessary.
Magomola says there is an exaggerated perception of what the business sector can contribute. "Business is in business to maximise returns on shareholder risk.
"To date, business is not getting any tax rebate on HIV/Aids-spend. But the business coalition has begun to work in partnership with government and civil society. Business and community collaboration with government is essential."
He says two things motivate the business sector to act on HIV/Aids:
To be good corporate citizens.
To act against the HIV/Aids threat to society and the business sector itself - the backbone of the economy.
Magomola is a new member of the President's National Aids Council and a member of the Gauteng Aids Council. "Government expects the private sector to be visible and working in partnership with it," he says.
In the past, this was problematic as there was no clear national policy on HIV/Aids.
"It is a strategic management issue that seems to be in the process of being sorted out," adds Magomola.
In response to the World Bank's prognosis that South Africa faces economic collapse as a result of the HIV/Aids pandemic, he says: "The World Bank's report can be counterproductive if read out of context. There are already major intervention programmes in and beyond the workplace in South Africa.
"Their scenario of an economic collapse would be possible only if there were no HIV/Aids programmes in place."
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