Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - July 25, 2004
While conducting research, funded by the South African San Institute (SASI), Stella Carter found that "as a result of chemical dependence, which has a near fatal grip on the community, coupled with spreading HIV/Aids, the chances of the community surviving another generation are remote".
Claire Barry, co-ordinator of an HIV/Aids programme among the Khomani San, says the disease is "like a fuse that has been lit but the bomb hasn't burst yet".
Barry left the Kalahari two weeks ago, after three years, because she couldn't get support to continue her privately funded work. She has trained four Khomani San Aids field workers but their funding, of R1 000 a month each, ends at the end of August.
Grace Humphreys, a SASI co-ordinator, says the HIV/Aids programme will continue as soon as the institute receives more funding.
Barry estimates the HIV infection rate among the Khomani San to be between 20% and 50%. But she says that "very few are tested, so it's hard to say".
"Most people who suspect they have Aids don't use antiretrovirals but use traditional herbal medicines."
Khomani San traditional leader Dawid Kruiper is caught between encouraging his followers to reproduce and promoting condoms because of Aids.
Another crisis facing the Kruipers is violence in their own ranks. On our way to visit Dawid Kruiper, we found one of his relatives, Lys Kruiper, in tears on one of the dunes. A close relative of hers - who had allegedly been raped and stabbed by drunk men from the Kruiper clan - was lying wrapped in a blanket.
The relative refused to lay charges but Northern Cape police spokesman Senior Superintendent Rita Crafford says the state will continue pursuing the matter.
The attack on the woman follows the deaths of two Khomani San women, who were allegedly killed by jealous boyfriends in drunken rages.
Nana Zenani, spokesman for Land Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza, has denied allegations by the community and researchers that the state has provided little support since returning the land to the Khomani San. She says local government structures in the Northern Cape are helping them to deal with their problems.
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