meeting
29 November 2007
The South African National AIDS Council held its second meeting chaired by
the Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in her capacity as chair of SANAC.
The meeting was also attended by the deputy chair Mr Mark Heywood, members of
the Inter-Ministerial Committee, including Ministers of Education Naledi Pandor
and Public Service and Administration, Geraldine Fraser Moleketi, as well as
the Deputy Minister of Social Development Jean Swanson-Jacobs and
representatives of civil society organisations dealing with HIV and AIDS.
The meeting received progress reports on the implementation of the National
Strategic Plan (NSP) on HIV and AIDS 2007 to 2011 from business, civil society
and government sectors constituting SANAC. The sectors reported progress on the
implementation of programmes and mobilisation for active participation in their
sectors. In particular campaigns to encourage people to test for HIV and know
their HIV status, as well as campaigns to popularise the NSP are becoming
widespread.
Some sectors reported on meetings with various provincial AIDS councils. The
faith based sector has extended participation in implementing the NSP to a
wider range of faiths. Similarly, the business sector reported good progress on
the implementation of the NSP including the sharing of good practice with
respect to support to employees and their families and advances towards closer
working relationships with the medical aid companies in plans to extend access
to treatment.
Government's report highlighted the intervention programmes within the
public sector ranging from employee assistance programmes to grants in support
of child-headed families and vulnerable children. The presentation included a
report on budgetary allocations for various aspects of the NSP. The Deputy
President highlighted the working relationship with the house of traditional
leaders who were critical in ensuring that the HIV intervention programmes were
effective and are known to even more communities in South Africa. Ms
Mlambo-Ngcuka indicated the need for SANAC to heighten messages linking HIV and
AIDS with the 16 Days of Activism Against Women and Child Abuse Campaign and
called on all men to stand up, march and join the campaign.
Civil society raised concerns regarding the slow accreditation of health
facilities that offer anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment and the need for an
improved treatment regime for the prevention of mother to child HIV
transmission. The Department of Health indicated that it was implementing
strategies to improve accreditation. A new protocol on Prevention of Mother to
Child Transmission (PMTCT) will be announced within two weeks.
At the end of the meeting the deputy chairperson of SANAC, Mr Mark Heywood,
remarked that the SANAC meeting was an indication that the partnerships for the
prevention and treatment of HIV were becoming more focused, targeted and
effective. In his view SANAC was "beginning to play an important role in
guiding the implementation of the NSP, advising the government and highlighting
shortcomings with implementation." Much still needs to be done. In particular
the meeting noted that:
* mass communication of the NSP's key activities needs to be
undertaken
* there needs to be better co-ordination and improved collaboration concerning
monitoring, evaluation and research.
The next meeting of the SANAC Programme Implementation Committee will look
at these issues and is scheduled for 6 December 2007. The meeting was also
briefed on the plans for the national celebrations of the World AIDS Day due to
take place in Mahwelereng in Limpopo with provincial events around the
country.
Enquiries:
Thabang Chiloane
The Presidency
Cell: 082 888 8783
Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS) on behalf of South African
National AIDS Council
29 November 2007
