This stuff is explosively controversial, as it has formed the basis for the SA Department of Health denying pregnant HIV+ women the free AZT that is desperately required to save half their babies (35,000 a year). The current issue of the Mail and Guardian (http://www.mg.co.za ) has some good coverage about the AIDS doubters. But I'd rather email a note from one of the comrades allegedly benefiting from the 4-wheel drive syndrom (what a devious way for Geshekter to make the argument)...
Michael Perelman, you're at Chico, do you know Geshekter?
> Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 14:40:32 -0500
> From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
> Globe and Mail (Toronto) - March 14, 2000
> THE PLAGUE THAT ISN'T
> ...
> This means that those who question AIDS in Africa put their own
> funding at risk. I saw this at first-hand when I visited Swaziland in
> mid- December at the invitation of their HIV/AIDS Crisis Management
> Committee. I was driven from the airport to the hotel in a late model
> 4-wheel drive vehicle. It had been donated by UNICEF and was covered
> with AIDS posters urging Swazis to "use a condom, save a life." The
> committee included representatives of the major government
> ministries, as well as church and women's groups.
>
> After my presentation, an attorney named Teresa Mlangeni acknowledged
> that she could easily see how malnutrition, tuberculosis, malaria and
> other parasitic infections -- not sexual behaviour -- were making her
> fellow Swazis ill. But other committee members confided that if they
> voiced public doubts, they risked losing their international funding.
> And I realized that the vested interests of the international AIDS
> orthodoxy would discourage further inquiries.
Date sent: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 01:35:15 +0200 From: Zackie Achmat <zackie at pixie.co.za> Fw: South African People Living with HIV/AIDS MOBILISE!!!!
Dear All
I have attended one of the best and most difficult meetings of my life. TAC members from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape joined, NAPWA, Positive Women and YPLA members from across the country in a unfied response together with people who had never belonged to an organisation.
Break the Silence! This was South Africa's Second National Conference of People Living with HIV/AIDS organised under the auspices of the Durban 2000 Conference. The following were the most outstanding features of the conference for me.
1.. From almost every corner of our country, people with
HIV/AIDS--young and old, black and white, men and women, lesbian,
gay and heterosexual came to organise for the Durban 2000
Conference. For the first time men and women were represented in
equal numbers. And again, African people were present in
overwhelming numbers. During the Conference, Comrade Ben
Masuka--former Gauteng co-ordinator of NAPWA died--this
contributed to a spirit of unity and urgency among all the
delegates. 2.. At the opening of the Conference, the Deputy
President--Mr. Jacob Zuma was invited and he could not come. He
was replaced by the Deputy Minister of Defence-Ms Nosizwe
Madlala-Routledge. The mayor of Durban also attended. Both
speakers repeated the speech every politician has made since the
inception of the epidemic. In the first question of the
Conference, the Deputy Minister of Defence was challenged by an
African woman on the Defence Force's discriminatory employment
policy. Another person with HIV challenged the Deputy Minister to
carry the message on the TAC poster asking President Thabo Mbeki
to provide AZT/Nevirapine for pregnant women. He also challenged
the organisers of Durban 2000 to endorse the TAC's call to Glaxo
Wellcome to lower the price of AZT to R180.00 (Later in the day
Glaxo-Wellcome stated that they now provide AZT at R200,00 to the
state as a result of pressure. TAC asks government to confirm the
price of R200.00 3.. Throughout the day and at every workshop,
speaker after speaker complained of the problems and
discrimination experienced in the health care services and in
clinical trials. In the afternoon, Bristol Meyers Squibb showed
their colours when they refused to attend a panel discussion
without explanation. Glaxo-Wellcome as usual was the only drug
company prepared to engage with PWAs. However, Ms Vicki
Ehrich--Director of Corporate Affairs tried to explain how Glaxo
had invented, tested and developed AZT. She was challenged by
every speaker on their policies and the fact that they did not
invent AZT. Even the newly appointed NACOSA Communications
Director suugested that she should negotiate with TAC and other
organisations. The best question came from the person carrying
the roving microphone--"You say Glaxo funds AIDS Projects in South
Africa.?" ---"Yes! Replied the Glaxo Corporate Affairs manager.
Imagining another begging PWA prepared to take crumbs-- she
said:"This is almost our entire corporate social responsibility
portfolio."--"You mean you fund many AIDS organisations?"
Yes...."Oh! he replied! Please take all that money. Keep it and
lower the prices of all your drugs." Gob-smacked!!!! 4.. Speaker
after speaker in the conference over three days explained how
families rejected their children, husbands their wives, even
religious bodies. People spoke of poverty. And hunger. Cosatu
Deputy President Ms Joyce Pekane pledged Cosatu support for TAC
campaigns and outlined its own programme to educate its leaders
and members. She promised to take up hospital problems with unions
in the public sector. 5.. There was unanimous endorsement from
delegates including organiser Shaun Mellors for the TAC and
HealthGap proposal for a mass protest march at the opening of
Durban 2000 with the theme "Treatment Access for People
Everywhere". There was unanimous endorsement from all delegates
to the conference to reduce the price of Diflucan--the Pfizer drug
used to treat opportunistic infections to less than R3.00 per
capsule. 6.. A young African gay man with HIV challenged the
KwaZulu MEC for Health on the absence of government produced
HIV/AIDS messages for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
communities. Dr. Zweli Mkhize stated that the government
targetted its efforts at the majoirty but would be open to
producing targetted media for the lesbian and gay community as
well. 7.. In the evening, the Minister of Health, Dr. Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang and Judge Cameron were to address a Gala Dinner
and answer questions. Judge Cameron gave one of the most moving
addresses I have heard challenging the government and making a
call to moral action. TAC will circulate the speech separately.
The Minister was faced by 20--30 people holding posters calling
for AZT/Nevirapine for pregnant mothers throughout her speech. She
angered almost every person by refusing to take questions and to
stay for dinner. In her speech she acknowledged that the TAC
request for standard treatment guidelines had been granted and
that she had completed them. She also stated that she owed TAC a
meeting. We welcome both these and will meet with the Minister.
8.. In the morning, Minister of Welfare, Dr. Zola Skweyiya joined
the conference. In a candid manner, he admiited that the Welfare
Department had neglected the poor and people with HIV/AIDS in
particular. He insisted that his department must involve people
with HIV at every level. 9.. In a surprise visit, the Deputy
President--Mr. Jacob Zuma came in person to apologise for his
absence at the opening. Desiree Booysen, the KwaZulu Natal TAC
organiser asked him to wear the HIV-Positive T-shirt! He removed
his jacket and tie and wore the t-shirt. Then, before he spoke
the Deputy President was welcomed with militant songs--"What are
you doing? Mantho Tshabalala? Do the right thing" For more than 5
minutes delegates sang and shouted slogans--"Phantsi Mantho
Tshabalala! Phantsi!--Down with Mantho Tshabalala! Then, the
Deputy-President spoke. He apologised for not coming earlier and
restated his commitment to AIDS as Deputy President and as the
chairperson of the National AIDS Council. He said he and the
Council should be given a chance and that all the concerns raised
througout the Conference would be raised in the National AIDS
Council. The Deputy President was asked on behalf of the TAC to
ask the President and the Minister of Health to ensure that
academics who use science to sow confusion about AIDS not be
allowed to participate on the international experts panel. The
Deputy-President was also asked that two people living with
HIV/AIDS elected by conference to serve on the South African
National AIDS Council. The Deputy President was told by a
delegate that people with HIV/AIDS were dying while millions of
rands were wasted. He was asked to prioritise treatment and care.
The Deputy President appealed for a joint approach to AIDS action
and said that the would personally support the inclusion of people
elected from the Conference to be the representatives of people
with HIV/AIDS on the Council. He added that his door was always
open and that AIDS was not only an issue for the Department of
Health. He endorsed the work of the Minister of Welfare and
insisted that we should not communicate through the media. 10..
TAC nominated Thanduxolo Doro and Adeline Mancgu to the South
African National AIDS Council. The nomination was supported by
NAPWA. A third person was also nominated Francinah Pitikwe.
Instead of voting all the delegates endorsed the TAC suggestion
that the government be asked to include all three people living
with HIV/AIDS as elected representatives. NAPWA, TAC, YPLA and
Positve Women's Network agreed that the delegates could be
recalled by agreement of the organisations if they did not carry
the mandates of people livimng with HIV/AIDS. 11.. Traditional
remedies, openness, nutrition, treatment lietracy, access to
AZT/Nevirapine, basic treatment guidelines, lower drug prices,
legal rights of people living with HIV/AIDS focussed all the
delegates on the need to unite. Poverty and the abuse of people
with HIV by NGOs and other people with HIV/AIDS angered many
delegates. 12.. Delegates collected money to take a young woman
who according to reports had been refused access to treatment at
King Edward. The KZN MEC was called and a delegation took the
young woman to the hospital. For all of us, this had been an
exhausting and difficult few days. Over the next few months, PWAs
will unite and build trust to face Durban 2000, the government and
the drug companies with renewed confidence. Let no-one say people with HIV/AIDS cannot speak in our own name. Let no-one say that poor people cannot comply with drug regimens. Join us in building a powerful movement and unity among all people living with HIV/AIDS on the principles of equal access to social resources including treatment. Amandla!
Patrick Bond email: pbond at wn.apc.org * phone: 2711-614-8088 home: 51 Somerset Road, Kensington 2094 South Africa work: University of the Witwatersrand Graduate School of Public and Development Management PO Box 601, Wits 2050, South Africa email: bondp at zeus.mgmt.wits.ac.za phone: 2711-488-5917 * fax: 2711-484-2729