5. Ms L L van der Merwe (Inkatha Freedom Party) to ask the Deputy President:
What are his responsibilities as patron of the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence? NO909E
Reply:
Honourable Member, the Council is being fully constituted by the Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities. I was requested by the Minister that as the Chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council I become a patron, to which I agreed. My role is thus to endorse and be a messenger of their work, which is still being fine-tuned.
I thank you.
6. Mr J J McGluwa (ID) to ask the Deputy President:
Why has the Government not yet signed the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969? NO905E
Reply:
The 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties regulates various aspects of treaties including conclusion, interpretation and termination. The Convention is regarded by many states, including South Africa, as forming part of customary international law i.e. its provision are also binding on states that have not ratified the Convention.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides in section 232 that customary international law is law in the Republic unless it is inconsistent with the Constitution or an Act of Parliament.
The Vienna Convention, to the extent that it is part of customary international law, is therefore law in South Africa and South African treaty practice conforms to its provisions. It is thus unnecessary to accede to the Vienna Convention.
I thank you.
7. Ms B T Ngcobo (ANC) to ask the Deputy President:
What progress is being made to attain zero new HIV and TB infections as one of the goals of the overall National Strategic Plan on HIV, STIs and TB 2012 - 2016? NO910E
Reply:
As you know, Honourable Member, the HIV and TB epidemic has been one of the most profound challenges we have faced as a country. Our strategies and programmes continue to improve due to a better grasp of the scientific and social aspects of these diseases.
Over the last three years, a series of comprehensive studies and reviews have been conducted across the entire country and the findings have enabled us to develop a comprehensive, robust evidence-informed programme as elaborated in our National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs 2012-2016.
Over the same period, a number of highly impactful policies have been implemented to address the dual epidemics including the social determinants thereof. These include:
- The introduction of provider- initiated HIV Counselling and Testing culminating in the roll-out of the worlds’ largest HIV Counselling and Testing campaign. This campaign also helped us identify people who are infected with TB enabling us to expand our interventions appropriately.
- Whilst providing treatment to those who are eligible, the new policies prioritise pregnant women, infants who have been exposed to HIV, as well as those co-infected with both HIV and TB.
- Efforts to strengthen our health system include the introduction of new technology such as Gene-Expert machines, which make it possible to diagnose TB infection within 2 hours, thus improving cure rates
- Most notably, we have increased resource allocation to the health sector across all three spheres of government to enable us to achieve our vision of a long and healthy life for all South Africans.
All these investments have moved us closer to our goals and to date some of the outcomes we have recorded include the following:
- Over 20 million people have been tested for HIV since April 2010
- Over 10 million people screened for TB
- The total number of people on treatment is 1,9 million, which makes our program the largest in the world.
- We have noted a decline in HIV and AIDS-related mortality especially among the 25-35yrs age group.
- The transmission of HIV from mother to-child has decreased significantly over the last 3 years from 8% in 2010 to 2, 7% nationally.
Our programmes now include the School Health programme which was launched by the President last year and we have begun screening and treating inmates for HIV and TB.
At the beginning of this month, the Minister of Health launched the introduction of the Fixed Drug Combination—this means people on treatment will now receive one pill a day instead of the three or more tablets they have to take on a daily basis. This will improve adherence to treatment and reduce costs of providing treatment to the large number of people who are eligible.
These achievements have not made us complacent. We continue reviewing our programmes, and introducing new and innovative approaches in line with international guidelines and protocols.
In this regard, we will escalate the HIV Counselling and Testing campaign by urging all South Africans to test at least once every year. There will also be an activity in this regard here in Parliament.
Prevention is the corner-stone of our response and our National Strategic Plan emphasises the importance of scaling up prevention programmes across the length and breadth of our country.
We have come a long way, and we recognise and acknowledge that more needs to be done and through multi-sectoral structures such as the South African National AIDS Council, the development community and many other community-based organisations, we will realise our dream of an AIDS-free South Africa.
I thank you.
8. The Leader of the Opposition (DA) to ask the Deputy President:
Who does the Government currently recognise as the legitimate government of the Central African Republic? NO907E
Reply:
Since the overthrow of President Francois Bozize’s government in March 2013 the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) convened two extraordinary summits of Heads of State and Government to discuss the situation in the Central African Republic. President Jacob Zuma participated in both summits at the invitation of President Idriss Deby Itno.
At the first meeting held on 03 April 2013 the ECCAS Heads of State and Government condemned the unconstitutional change of power and recommended the establishment of a National Transition Council in line with the Libreville Agreement.
At the next summit held on 18 April 2013 the ECCAS Heads of State and Government noted the establishment of the National Transition Council and the appointment of the Head of State by the Council.
The ECCAS Heads of State and Government reminded the National Transitional Council that it must prioritise the restoration of peace and security, the revival of the administration, economic activities and the preparation of elections during the transition period.
South Africa’s position in relation to the situation currently prevailing in the Central African Republic is consistent with the approach of the African Union; and South Africa underscores that in order to achieve lasting peace, prosperity and normality, the Central African Republic will need Africa’s cooperation as well as contribution from the international community.
I thank you.
