South African History Online

 NASREC, 23rd October 1992

Comrades and Compatriots

When I was asked to open this conference some months ago, I felt greatly
honoured by the invitation and at the same time, greatly humbled by the enormity
of this problem facing our own country and many other countries. My mind was
sharply focused on the words in Hemingway's novel that:

"man is not an island
he is not an entity unto
himself
therefore ask not for whom the bells toll
they toll for thee".

The reality of the AIDS epidemic worldwide is that it is not merely a medical
condition, it is a disease with socio-medical implication.

In South Africa, this problem challenges the entire socio-economic fabric of
our society and poses a threat to future generations. Statistics indicate that
those forced to live in poor socio-economic conditions are the highest at risk
in our population.

As at the 30th June this year, 1316 cases of AIDS were recorded, and to
majority of these wed recorded in Natal, with the highest incidences of AIDS
countrywide being recorded in the urban areas. Apartheid's legacy has played a
great role in this factor, particularly in the black communities where
overcrowding in homes does not provide for privacy within the family; where lack
of housing and the creation of informal settlements as well as the lack of
recreation facilities makes the black community even more susceptible to the sex
related virus.

Single sex hostels lead to the disintegration of family units in rural areas
and hostel dwellers are forced to have casual relationships since they cannot
live with their families.

Another startling statistic is the incidence of AIDS in young children. Most
children born with the AIDS virus, die before they reach their second birthday.
The fact that the virus attacks the most economically active age group in our
population, is also an issue worthy of discussion.

The serious consequences of inadequate health care facilities nationally. As
well as the fact that there is limited access to the health facilities which
treat sexually transmitted diseases, is a matter which this conference must pay
serious attention to.

Women are the most seriously affected by the AIDS virus. They are the poorest
people in our country due to the lack of education and work opportunities. The
position of women in our society forces them into a situation where they are
unable to protect themselves or an unborn infant against the virus. Many women
find it very difficult to insist that their partners wear condoms due to the
socialisation of both men and women on the issue of sex.

Our most potent weapon against this virus is education. We have, perhaps, for
some time, allowed ourselves to believe that like other epidemics it will come
and go; that the great advances of our time in science and technology will offer
us appropriate quick intervention.

The key to our success is our own collective effort. The time for rhetorical
arguments and victim blaming has passed. Now is the time for action. What we
know about this disease already is enough to enable us to put in place
comprehensive and appropriate intervention strategies.

We already know that AIDS has no cure and no vaccine despite the intensive
research efforts. Therefore, prevention remains for us the strategy we must
employ.

We do have a problem with the efforts being made by the South African
government, in that the efforts by the government to introduce preventative
measures are viewed with suspicion and as a ploy to control the population. This
government does not have the credibility to convince the majority of black South
Africans to change their sexual behaviour.

Our first thought must be the protection of our people against this disease,
and therefore, it is necessary that we adopt a broad front approach to the
problem.

All sectors of our community must become engaged in this battle and resources
available from the government must be distributed to our communities. This
problem does not allow anyone the luxury of political bias or hearts- and- minds
winning exercises. We need to set up a structure at national, regional and local
level which goes beyond health workers and the government.

AIDS exposes an aspect of our lives that we are most loath to discuss openly,
but it also touches on religious and cultural sensitivities. We must be
sensitive to these, yet be bold to explore all avenues that will ensure that our
message is not only received but well received. The only sure way of achieving
this is by involving all of us in our home, our institutions, organisations,
places of worship and work.

I believe that a central component of our intervention strategy must be to
strengthen the capacity of our people individually and collectively to
recognise, understand and act decisively against this scourge.

Let us ensure that everybody understand that a successful fight against AIDS,
is not a success only for individuals, but for families, communities and indeed
for our country as a whole.

In this regard I wish to make a special appeal to the government, the
business community and other formations to, as a matter of urgency, make
resources available for a speedy implementation of the recommendations that will
come from this convention. I have already said that education is our most potent
medicine against this virus - we need to bring home to parents, church leaders,
political organisations and all other organs of civil society that
stigmatisation of AIDS victims does not solve the problem. The victims of AIDS
are victims of the illnesses in our society and we need to proceed from that
basis.

Many of us find it difficult to talk about sex to our children, but nature's
truth is that unless we guide the youth towards safer sex, tile alternative is
playing into the hands of a killer disease. In this regard I wish to endorse the
idea of an AIDS charter which will educate and activate our population, as well
entrench the rights of AIDS victims. Compatriots we have an obligation to move
decisively to remove all those obstacles which limit our capacity to deal
effectively with this scourge. Do we really have any justification for
perpetuating such practices as the migrant labour system, single sex hostels,
which not only destroy family life, but certainly limit our capacity to
establish stable self-reliant communities that can be the core of a dynamic
society able to cope with this and other problems? Is it not time we address the
problem of illiteracy, poverty and empower our women folk - all crucial factors
for an effective intervention strategy?

Very few, if any diseases better illustrate the truth in the dictum
"prevention is better than cure".

Lastly, AIDS definitely has profound direct micro and macro-economic impacts.
In the years ahead, as we face the process of national reconstruction, we shall
need the best possible performance of our national economy. Let us therefore act
now to ensure that our efforts at nation building and democratic transformation
will not be frustrated.