Premier Ace Magashule on outcomes of meeting with Treatment Action Campaign

Statement by Free State Premier on the engagement between the Provincial Cabinet and Treatment Action Campaign

1. Following a very successful Provincial Council on Aids (PCA), convened by Premier Ace Magashule on 11 May 2016 at Welkom, Matjhabeng Local Municipality, the Free State Executive Council held a frank, robust and effective engagement with TAC in Bloemfontein on Wednesday, 18 May 2016;

2. The Free State Executive Council appreciated how the TAC honoured the invitation to engage government with the purpose of finding lasting solutions to challenges of HIV/AIDS in particular and public healthcare in general;

3. The TAC delegation was led by, amongst others, the organization’s General Secretary, Mr Anele Yawa and its Provincial Chairperson;

4. The Meeting agreed that an adversarial relationship between government and TAC in particular, and all other stakeholders that have an interest in health, is not going to assist any party to achieve solutions to the challenges we face, as well as improve on the gains that have already been made;

5. The meeting also agreed that TAC shall work together with the Department of Health and government in general to collectively find innovative ways to improve the lives of our people through public healthcare in particular;

6. The meeting also agreed that the Executive Council shall  meet with managers of primary healthcare centres (clinics), following successful engagements with managers of hospitals earlier;

7. In his address to the Executive Council, the Premier said, “I am pleading for total cooperation between government and TAC. This cooperation is in the interest of the lives of our people in general, and not in my interest alone”;
8. The Premier appreciated the resolutions made by the meeting and hauled the meeting as important;
9. The Premier committed to ensure that, through the PCA, of which he is Chairperson, he will conduct proper monitoring and oversight to ensure that cooperation between government and TAC and other interested parties yield positive results for the betterment of the conditions of the people of the Free State.

Enquiries:
Tiisetso Makhele
Premier’s Spokesperson
Cell: 076 833 0033

Pulane Tsupane
Cell: 071 302 2595