On World AIDS Day last year, President Jacob Zuma made a series ofwatershed announcements regarding HIV and AIDS policies in South Africa particularly with regard to access to treatment and care services.
At the same time, President Zuma announced that the country wouldembark on a massive national HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT)Campaign under the leadership of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) which is chaired by the Deputy President and the Department of Health.
This is based on the understanding that HIV counseling and testing (HCT) is an entry point to prevention as well as treatment, care and support services. The campaign aims to encourage positive behavior change, encouraging individuals and communities to take responsibility for their health by knowing their HIV status.
The theme of the campaign is: "I am Responsible, We are Responsible,South Africa is taking Responsibility".
The theme emphasises both the individual and collective responsibility that South Africans need to take in order to significantly reduce the rate of new HIV infections, and ensure access to treatment, care and support services to people living with HIV.
The campaign aims to test 15 million sexually active individuals of 12 years and older by the end of June 2011. Government employs about 1,2 million people and our aim is to try and reach 80 percent of those state employees.
We also urge each of these employees to encourage at least 5 people in their families or communities to test for HIV. That should enable us to reach about 4,8 million people.
The Presidency alone has more than 600 staff members. We hope that more than 80 percent of them will test during this campaign and they will in turn encourage their families and community members to also test. The campaign is starting here in Pretoria and is going to be extended to The Presidency offices in Cape Town and Durban.
The success of a campaign of this magnitude depends largely on the partnerships forged across public, private and civil society sectors. In this case I would like to thank New Start for partnering with The Presidency to provide counseling and testing service.
Each sector and stakeholder has an important role to play in mobilising individuals in their sphere of influence to access HCT services. Only through collective effort can we be sure that the HCT campaign doesn't only reach 15 million people, but also plays an integral role in changing people's perceptions and behavior.
Thank you.
Source: Department of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities
