4 December 2006
By Nozipho Dlamini
Kanyamazane - A comprehensive plan that seeks to provide guidance to all government departments and sectors in civil society on HIV and AIDS was unveiled in Mpumalanga on Friday.
Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said the government and its partners had reached a stage where they could announce their agreement on the broad framework of the national strategic plan on HIV and AIDS and sexually transmitted infections for 2007 to 2011.
Mlambo-Ngcuka was speaking at the National World AIDS day.
The new plan has four key areas including prevention; treatment, care and support; human rights and legal rights; as well as monitoring and surveillance, she said.
The plan flows from the national strategic plan 2000/2005 as well as the operational plan for comprehensive HIV and AIDS care, management and treatment.
It represents the country's multisectoral response to the challenge of HIV infections and the wide-ranging impact of AIDS.
It is informed by the nature, dynamics, and character of the epidemic as well as the medical and scientific knowledge.
The theme of this year's World AIDS Day was "Stop HIV and Aids - Keep the promise". It calls on all South Africans, including the government, civil society organisations and ordinary people to participate actively in a co-ordinated manner to confront HIV and AIDS.
Mlambo-Ngcuka reiterated the fact that there was still no cure for HIV and AIDS. "But we know that we can delay full-blown AIDS through responsible lifestyles, nutrition and exercise and that poverty speeds up progression from HIV to AIDS as people are exposed to hunger," she said.
She added that the government would continue to fight poverty and other infectious illnesses by improving service delivery.
"There is also a growing need to make sure that children who lose parents due to HIV-related illnesses are taken care of," Mlambo-Ngcuka said.
She said this demanded that the government consolidated its partnerships with communities and those who worked tirelessly to provide support to vulnerable children and child-headed families.
Mark Heywood, of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), said the organisation had come a long way in forming a strong partnership with the government.
"The unity that has been built is critical and the fact that we have not yet finalised the plan should not be seen as failure. This serves as a sign that we needed to give it our best and that it had to be well represented," said Heywood.
Presentation for Seminar
