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KZN traditional leaders strengthen their commitment to fight HIV/AIDS
Department of Health Press Release. 20 September 2002. Republished courtesy of Meropa Communications.
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KwaZulu Natal Traditional Leaders are strengthening the province's initiatives against HIV/AIDS and are joining three other provinces - Eastern Cape, Free State and the North West Province - that have already launched their provincial traditional leaders HIV/AIDS chapter.
Two other provinces, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, are in the final stages before launches planned in October. Speaking at the inauguration, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, the Minister of Health, thanked the Traditional Leaders and said that the Government greatly valued them as a sector that is playing an important role in bringing the messages and policies about HIV/AIDS closer to their constituencies - and especially in the rural areas.
The KwaZulu Natal Traditional Leaders HIV/AIDS task team consists of 28 members, who are throwing their weight behind the fight against HIV/AIDS and whose aim is to take the messages and policies of Government and the HIV/AIDS and STIs Strategic Plan for South Africa 2000-2005 to their communities.
The National Traditional Leaders HIV/AIDS Forum brings together fifteen traditional leaders in South Africa, and is one of the key sectors in the sectoral mobilisation against HIV/AIDS, under the umbrella of the Partnership Against AIDS.
The Partnership, which celebrates its fourth anniversary in early October, is one of the cornerstones of the country's united response to the epidemic - incorporating representation from government, women organisations, media, the disabled, people living with HIV/AIDS, unions, celebrities, business, NGOs, faith-based organisations, youth, traditional leaders and healers, human rights organisations, sport and the hospitality industry.
The Minister of Health said that the Department of Health has been working very constructively with the Traditional Leaders, and that after the establishment of the National Traditional Leaders' Forum, its members underwent extensive training in HIV/AIDS-related issues.
"Traditional Leaders have certain strengths that they bring to the fight against HIV/AIDS. They are well placed to convey AIDS messages, especially in rural areas, as they are respected in the community and have good access to their people."
Other issues to which the Minister alerted the delegates included the fact that even among the international community, there is now a growing realisation that the role of developmental issues, including poverty, housing, water and sanitation, and the gender relationships in the transmission of HIV, play a crucial role in the country's response to the epidemic. Through the HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan, the government is actively focusing on these broader developmental issues, and views the work of programmes such as the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development as important contributors to enabling communities to manage the impact of HIV/AIDS.
Government's plan on HIV/AIDS employs a multidisciplinary approach, which encompasses interventions of prevention, treatment, care and support. One of the important programmes within this approach is to encourage people to go for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT). This programme empowers people to make informed decisions on issues such as nutrition, lifestyle and protection - all key elements of the recently-launched Khomanani Caring Together campaign.
The Minister concluded by saying that: "Traditional Leaders can very actively support these types of activities. Their support to HIV/AIDS programmes within the communities - including the care and support for AIDS orphans and other children in distress - will ensure that we return to the principles of ubuntu. The creation of caring environments is within the moral regeneration of our society." |
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