MEC Scott mobilises people in Msunduzi for aids conference
MEC for Finance, Belinda Scott, urged people of uMgungundlovu District today (14 June 2016) to reduce the numbers of new HIV infections to combat the number of people dying of Aids.
MEC Scott, who is also the Political Champion of uMgungundlovu, is shaken that her district is leading with the 40% HIV population.
Addressing people at Gezubuso Community Hall in (Msunduzi Municipality Ward 5) Scott said while the situation had improved from nearly 50% in the past years, 40% of HIV positive people in the population of the district was still not acceptable.
"What is of a very big concern to government is that in South Africa there are 2 500 new infections every week. Our role as government is to make sure that people that contract the virus do not get to full blown Aids. This means that government still has a lot more work to do in this district.
"We are rolling out antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) very strongly in this province. If mothers have HIV, it does not mean that their children also have HIV. If a mother took medication during pregnancy, her child will be born HIV negative," she said.
Scott was in Msunduzi Municipality to mobilise people for the up-coming 21st International Aids Conference 2016. This is the second event after kick-starting the series in Impendle Municipality a month ago.
Earlier in the day Scott visited Ekuthuleni Day Care Centre and Sphesihle Day Care Centre where she donated furniture, mattresses, learning materials, and brought along FutureLife Foundation Trust CEO, Julika Falconer, who donated highly nutritious FutureLife food packs to the needy children. Some of the children are HIV affected or infected.
Falconer said she could not stand on the line and watch when there were needy children who needed help. She said the foundation had the objective to feed the early childhood development sector in KwaZulu-Natal.
"We donated nutritious food to assist these children. We believe that it is critical that children get nutritionuous food to develop to their full potential," said Falconer
Deputy Mayor Thobane Zuma was moved by the gesture. Zuma said it shows that government cares. He said the donations would go a long way to improve the quality of the lives of these children.
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