21 February 2005 The City of Cape Town will proudly host the first HIV/Aids in the Municipal Workplace Symposium from 23 – 25 February 2005, in partnership and jointly sponsored by the South African Cities Network (SACN) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).
Date : 23 February 2005
Time : 10:00
Venue : Crush Room,
5th Floor, Podium Block,
Civic Centre, Cape Town
Date : 24 & 25 February 2005
Time : 09:00
Venue : Council Chambers,
6th Floor, Podium Block,
Civic Centre, Cape Town
The overall aim of the symposium is to share best practices on Municipal HIV/Aids workplace policies and programmes. Recently recognised by the SACN as the benchmark of best practice, the City's HIV/Aids Workplace Programme will now serve as a model on which other large South African metropoles and organizations will base their workplace HIV/Aids efforts.
Herman van der Watt, the City's HIV/Aids Workplace Programme Manager said: “Not only is the City working hard in addressing HIV/Aids in the workplace, it also has comprehensive care and prevention programmes aimed at all its residents. Truly, the City is living up to its commitment to being a responsible and caring employer"!
Sithole Mbanga, Chief Executive Officer for South African Cities Network (SACN) said: “We have identified HIV/Aids as one of the most critical challenges facing urban managers and political leaders today. South Africa has one of the fastest growing HIV/Aids epidemics in the world and has the most adults and children living with AIDS of all countries. As municipalities grapple with the growing health consequences of HIV/Aids, they are increasingly confronted with the economic and social consequences of the epidemic. Chief among them is the issue of the mitigating impact on the municipal workforce. SACN has recognized the absence of a strategic framework for the response to HIV/Aids in the workplace by local government."
The symposium is being held as part of the SACN Communities of Practice initiative that is based on the principles of peer-to-peer learning and the value of local experience in addressing developmental challenges within the South African urban context.
The symposium is anticipated to draw practitioners from local government, the private sector and the academic sectors. Participants are expected to examine amongst other issues, mainstreaming HIV/Aids into corporate governance; relevance of existing HIV/Aids workplace policies and the challenge of effective implementation; standards for the provision of voluntary counseling and testing in the municipal workplace; experiences in combating the stigma around HIV/Aids.
SACN is a knowledge sharing membership-based organization established to promote good governance and management of South African cities. For more information visit the SACN website www.sacites.net.
Media are welcome to attend.
A copy of the programme is available on request. Contact Lisle Brown on telephone number (021) 938-8081, Cell: 084 888 1901 and e-mail: lisle.brown@capetown.gov.za
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Issued by: Lisle Brown
Media Liaison Officer – City of Cape Town
Tel: (021) 938-8081 Cell: 084 888 1901
Media Queries: Herman van der Watt
HIV/Aids Workplace Programme Manager – City of Cape Town
Tel: (021) 400-2630 Cell: 084 225 1984
Sithole Mbanga
Chief Executive Officer – South African Cities Network
Tel: (011) 407-6471 Cell: 082 782 8676
HIV prevalence study and costing analysis
Presentation for Seminar
