New Leadership in South Africa brings hope for AIDS Reform

72% of the 5.5 million South Africans who are HIV-positive are in
need of antiretroviral (ARV) drug treatment. In leading the
movement against ARV drugs, recently removed South African
President Thabo Mbeki denied millions of his people HIV treatment.
He believes that the AIDS pandemic was created by Western
pharmaceutical companies to take advantage of Africans and maximize
their profits. Mbeki also sides with dissident scientists in
denying that the HIV virus causes AIDS and in 2003 he was quoted as
saying, “Personally, I don’t know anybody who has died of AIDS” and
when asked if he knew anyone infected with HIV he responded, “I
really, honestly don’t”. Mbeki’s views opposing antiretroviral
drugs were echoed by his Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang,
more commonly known as “Dr. Garlic”, who promotes garlic, olive
oil, beetroot, and African potatoes as a cure for AIDS.

Because the South African government has been reluctant to supply
its people with antiretroviral drugs, HIV/AIDS activist groups,
such at the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), have been instrumental
in the push to allow the distribution of these drugs. It was not
until 2004 that the South African government, pressured by HIV/AIDS
activist groups, finally began to provide ARVs for its people. It
also took a Constitutional Court battle and much lobbying from the
TAC to compel the Health Department to allow the administration of
AZT and nevirapine to HIV-positive pregnant women to prevent
mother-to-child transmission of the virus.

However, the recent resignation of Mbeki as President of South
Africa and the September 25th appointment of the ruling African
National Congress (ANC) deputy head Kgaleme Motlanthe as interim
president, give HIV/AIDS activists hope for change. His first day
in office, Motlanthe demoted “Dr. Garlic” to a less important
Cabinet position and appointed Barbara Hogan, a senior ANC member
of Parliament, as Minister of Health and Dr. Molefi Sefularo as
Deputy Minister of Health. The TAC applauded Motlanthe’s change in
administration and issued a statement in support of the new
appointees. The TAC credits Hogan as being “one of the few Members
of Parliament to speak out against AIDS denialism and to offer
support to the TAC” and cites Dr. Sefularo as supporting “ARV
rollout and the implementation of the Prevention of Mother to Child
Transmission” at Health of North West Province.

Hogan has already promised to “champion the issue” of the
government increasing spending on providing ARVs to HIV-positive
individuals. In an interview just hours before being sworn into
office, Hogan was quoted as saying, “I would thoroughly endorse the
roll-out of anti-retrovirals and any way that we can accelerate
that, the better”.

Looking ahead to the next president’s administration, in the most
recent edition of the ANC newsletter Jacob Zuma, current ANC
President the expected future South African President, is quoted as
wanting “more action with regards to the reduction of HIV
infections…widespread HIV prevention, treatment and support
programmes”. Yet, Zuma’s infamous statement during his 2006 rape
trial that he showered after intercourse with a HIV-positive woman
to minimize the risk of becoming infected lingers in the back of my
mind. I question that how such change can be implemented when South
African government officials still need to be educated about how
HIV is transmitted and how to reduce their risk of infection.