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Bisho civil servants took a symbolic march to honour National Women's Day (which is on August 9) by showing their commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS. The march, which had the theme - "Women and men marching together into the African Century", also served as a gesture of support to women infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Contrary to the usual practice during marches, no memorandum was handed over during this march, instead participants said they were petitioning themselves to commitment in the struggle against the plague. Gloria Ngcukana from the Health Department said they had gathered as men and women to call for unity of sexes in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Ngcukana said HIV/AIDS was the leading issue that currently affected women and they could not triumph on the struggle against it without the support of men. "We call on men to join hands with us so that together we can seek solutions to the ever-increasing rate of HIV/AIDS infections," she said.

According to Ngcukana each day should be an Aids day. She explained that the pandemic should be something that people talk about all the time not only on certain calendar days of the year. "It is hoped that this will keep the dangers of the disease in our minds. Speaking openly will help acknowledge its presence and will motivate us to take action against it," she said. "We should not talk about HIV/AIDS during campaigns but talk about it on a daily basis so that we can teach children how they should protect themselves."

She re-emphasised the importance of men and women working together saying they were of the "human species and should work together to fight what threatens their existence".

Men were called upon to act more responsibly. Luvuyo Singiswa from the Local Government Department said men needed a mind shift on how they did things and had to "understand the responsibility without compromising their status". He called on them to defeat stereotypes by empowering women.

It was pointed out that the women's biological makeup and their inferior status made them more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

Mvula Yoyo from the Men's Group said since men were regarded as leaders in relationships, they had a responsibility to end the pandemic. "Men must first accept that HIV/AIDS does exist," he said. He then called for men to find which meaning of AIDS was relevant to them among these two:
1. Am I Destroying Souls? (AIDS)
2. Am I Doing Something about HIV/AIDS (AIDS)

The march started from the Provincial Legislature building and proceeded to the Skenjana Roji Hall in Bisho.
Government Internal Aids Programme co-ordinator, Sheila Hokwana, said the march's objective was to create awareness about the "specific issues that render women more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS" and to call for support and co-operation of men as partners in the fight against this scourge.

"It is hoped that initiatives like this can help to strengthen the collaboration needed to fight this pandemic," commented Hokwana about the march.

Contact: Mrs Sheila Hokwana at 083 264 7690, Mncedi Thamie Mgwigwi at 040 639 1543

Issued by Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape

3 August 2001