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Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy
MEC for Safety and Security
Representatives of the mining industry as a whole
Secretary General of the National Union of Mineworkers
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

I greet you all. We are gathered today, on World AIDS Day, to reaffirm our commitment and dedication to intensifying the war against the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

As we do so, we join millions of people around the world who are today also united in remembering those who are infected and affected by the AIDS virus. Ladies and gentlemen, I am indeed honoured to be part of this important gathering, to launch a project that will surely make a difference to the lives of the people of this area and surroundings and indeed the whole country.

The Powerbelt HIV/AIDS Project is an excellent example of public-private partnership in the war against the HIV/AIDS virus. We need this type of partnership now more than ever before, as there is strength in collective and co-ordinated action, when faced by such a tough enemy.

As we speak, the disease continues to take its toll, robbing our young and economically active people of their lives and seriously threatening to reverse our recent gains. Factors such as the poverty, the migrant labour system, unemployment, illiteracy, and other socio-economic conditions continue to contribute to the rapid spread of the epidemic.

Apartheid separated families and up to this day, we are reaping the whirlwind of that enforced destabilisation of the institution of the family. Initiatives such as the Powerbelt Project are an important contribution towards addressing problems that emanated from that bitter history.

The strength of this initiative is that it will go beyond traditional HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, and will incorporate social upliftment initiatives, which will in future be sustained by the communities themselves.

The sustainability of such projects relies to a large extent on the involvement and commitment of all sectors of our community, women, youth and most importantly men, who are the focus of our prevention message today. In this regard, I would like to reiterate my appeal to all South African men.

Let us become active participants in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We strongly believe that working with men and persuading them to change their behaviour and attitudes will alter the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The reality in our society today is that power relations are still skewed in favour of men. Existing cultural beliefs and socio-economic conditions make the majority of women dependent on men and put them in a vulnerable position. Men should accept that given this scenario, they have an additional responsibility to ensure that they respect a woman's right to safer sex at all times.

At the same time, Government is continuously looking at ways of improving the status of women in society, so that eventually, conditions, which make them vulnerable, are removed. Ladies and gentlemen, while we look ahead at how we can strengthen the programmes of fighting the epidemic, we also need to congratulate South Africans for progress already made.

It is encouraging to note that awareness levels and the demand for condoms have increased. It indicates that the prevention message is having an impact. It means that there is a section of our population that has now chosen the safer route, while others may still be taking dangerous risks with their lives.

The question for the individual is, where do you fall? Are you in the safer zone or the danger zone? We all need to be able to answer this question responsibly.

While reporting relative progress, it is still of great concern to us that people with HIV/AIDS are still being discriminated against. We hope that the increase in awareness levels will translate into better understanding of the disease and will make people realise that Aids is a disease just like others, and that it does not mean that we must disown our loved ones just because they are infected.

All South Africans have the right, irrespective of HIV/AIDS status, to health care, liberty, employment, and freedom of movement and social security benefits. South Africa should use this day to start to challenge discrimination against HIV/AIDS positive people and their families, as this will assist us in stemming the spread of the epidemic and minimising the impact on those already infected and affected. Once again, I would like to reiterate my call to men: let us all become ambassadors of the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Let us heed the prevention message to Abstain, Be Faithful or Use a Condom. In addition, I call upon all men and women of this country. Let us spare at least a minute each day to pass on this message to our young people.

In this way, we will be able to arm them with knowledge that will save their lives. Ladies and gentlemen, I congratulate all the partners in this Powerbelt Initiative in both government and the private sector.

It is indeed a job well done and will certainly provide much needed ammunition in the fight against HIV/AIDS in this region. Working together, we can overcome this disease.

I thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency, 1 December 2000
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