I was very pleased to read an article by an HIV-positive radio talk show host, Criselda Kananda, titled, Mbeki was brave to enough to challenge HIV orthodoxy. She says, “I would fail myself and what I stand for if I were to allow the legacy of Mbeki to be reduced to im being called a ‘denialist’ when often those expressing this opinion are the ones who continue to practice unsafe sex.”
The question of former president Mbeki’s HIV/Aids purported denialism has been referred to ad nauseum since 2000, and more so after his “recall” from government. This so-called denialism has been quoted as one of his less flattering achievements since becoming president. Many of those who accuse him of denying the causal link between HIV and Aids do so from a position of ignorance, basing their “expert” judgement on media reports and utterances of commentators such as Professor Sipho Seepe. This serves to prove that a lie repeated many times is perceived as the gospel truth.
Time Magazine in 2000 conducted an interview with the former president, and when the question of HIV/Aids came up, this what he said:
“If the scientists say that the virus is part of the variety of things from which people acquire immune deficiency, I have no problem with that. But to say that this is the sole cause and therefore the only response to it is antiretroviral drugs, [then] we’ll never be able to solve the Aids problem. … If you accept that there can be a variety of reasons, including poverty and the many diseases that afflict Africans, then you can have a more comprehensive treatment response.”
It requires only a person seriously challenged to fully employ his/her mental faculties or a mischievous person with a malicious intent, to take the above statement and conclude that the former president blatantly denied the causal link between HIV and Aids. Knowledge that HIV/Aids is not the biggest killer in our continent — malaria, poverty and violent conflict claim more lives than can be attributed to this single syndrome — is not widely distributed. But ignorance of the truth excuses no one.
HIV/Aids remains a problem that need to be confronted with all our might; but not through a single blunt instrument that only serve interests of pharmaceuticals. It requires of the government an understanding of the broad range of underlying contributing factors to the collapse of the immune system beyond the HIV/Aids orthodoxy
The former minister of health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, has been a subject of vitriol and ridicule for pursuing a more comprehensive treatment response to the scourge of HIV/Aids. The large majority of our people live in abject poverty and are more susceptible to the breakdown of the immune system; be it as a result of contracting HIV or not, and it would be criminal on part of government to dispense drugs to these patients in the absence of adequate nutrition. While the media derided the minister for her promotion of beetroot, garlic and African-potato as part of the nutritious diet, those endowed with superior knowledge in matters of nutrition concurred with her.
The former president was correct in challenging the long-held belief that immune deficiency can be attributed to a single virus. None of us can challenge the veracity of the assertion that repeated infections, malnutrition, lack of access to clean water, impact negatively on the immune system.
Those who accused him of dilly-dallying when people were dying, were mostly ignorant of the fact that government’s programme on HIV/Aids was informed by the orthodox view on this matter. While government had the responsibility of ensuring the health of millions of South Africans it remained their sole responsibility for ensuring that the they were not infected and remained uninfected. Government cannot be held accountable for irresponsible sexual behaviour of those who ignore calls to practice safe-sex.
Mbeki said he was surprised to find how many people claiming to be scientists “are determined that scientific discourse and inquiry should cease, because ‘most of the world’ is of one mind.” It is important that we refrain from deliberately stifling open discourse even on contentious matters such as HIV/Aids out of the irrational fear of offending the long-held principles.
It has never been easy for many people to immediately discard deeply entrenched beliefs or views in favour of less the prominent ones.
Openness of mind is critical if we are to progress any further as a nation. It is due to the stubbornness of South Africans to be less rigid in their views that we have problems of homophobia, xenophobia and so on. The majority of people in our country remain rigid and unable to easily absorb views conflicting with their own; they are unable to easily adapt to changing circumstances and board the carriage in the diverging train of thought. It requires a certain level of maturity to be able to accept opposing views without being violently confrontational, without any obligation to concur with them.
The 18th century French philosopher, Voltaire, said, “I may not agree with what you say but I shall defend your right to say it … will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Our Bill of Rights was not intended to exclude the head of state!
Sentletse
My previous housekeeper had two daughters and decided to try for a son. She instructed the doctors to tie her tubes if a boy was born. They did. For 5 years the child was periodically ill. I would take them to Red Cross Children’s hospital- the best childrens hospital in SA. They could not decide if the child had TB or Ashma or something else. She brought her son with her to work, and her two daughters arrived after school. I made sure there was food every day. I send food parcels of vegtables and meat home every week (on top of the salary). I thought whatever was wrong nutients would help. The child was sent to his aunt in the Transkei for a while – for the dry air. Nothing helped. Then, after I had left Cape Town, they found out that this was an AIDS baby and both mother and child were HIV positive, and had got it from the father (who, when he found out, shot himself).
Her new employer and I tried everything BUT now they had TB and were NOT allowed antiretrovirals until the TB was cured. We were told the drugs interfered with each other. I had friends prepared to pay for the anti-retrovirals but the state clinic would not allow it. They nearly died from the TB. She had continual diaorrhea, went blind in one eye, could no longer walk. Her sister gave up her teaching job in the Transkei and eventually said there was no hope – it was time to go home to die. Luckily they managed to hang on just a few weeks and get her on to antiretrovirals. Within a few weeks she was picking up, and now they are both OK.
And NOW they tell us TB and AIDS can be treated at the same time, and the drugs actually help each other!After how many dead?
AND the Red Cross Children’s Hospital took more than 5 years to find out what was wrong!
WHAT do you think would have happened if she did not have family and friends. And what would have happened if Mbeki had tackled the problem in the beginning.
TB is NOT a difficult illness to diagnose. For 5 years the hospital said he did NOT have it! Eventually they both had it – because their CD count had dropped so low they had caught TB as an opportunistic illness. And Mbeki can say more people die of TB than AIDS – Sure – just like they hearly did!
I call it genocide by denial!
There is a say in english, that do nt argue with the fools because one might not notice!.
So I do nt mean to undermine or redicule people in this way, but health issues are more sensitive as compared to politics, so they need urgent, accuracy ,knowledge and accountability as there is no excuse for life lost out of ignorence or so.
It was a disaster for our former president to meddle with the medical scientific field and their medical challenges at the detriment of the masses of our communities, there are indeed on going researches within this field but it is a joke that other people are even making non existing statisstics in health sector for stupid political reason ,undermining advices from the medical scientist, forgetting that this is not a propaganga field , we are talking about people here who lose lives everyday, and leave orphans behind in millions that we forget. We are not talking about serving position for one man within the gravy train. So just wake up and come to your senses.I would suggest if one does nt have a clue what to talk about ,just take time to consult relavant people and you wont regret it. We ofcourse
do nt expect people to know everything but learning will always give us a chance to right information.
Stats of malaria, cancer, etc is as rubbish as fooling people with carrot,garlic and beetroot in the treatment of hiv/aids, and it reflects a big gap of ignorence than anything , undermining the lives of the millions that we have lost during the battle against this desease.
Sentletse
The AIDS genocide in SA, and the genocide of the Zimbabwe meltdown, have the same root cause – Mbeki’s “African Solutions to African Problems” Theory!
There was going to be an “African Solution” to AIDS – a traditional healer herbal remedy perhaps.
My former housekeeper, whose story I told above, had a second career as a sangoma in her township. If there had been any African remedy – don’t you think she would have used it for herself and for her child?
It is very interesting that people “who are not poor” and who could afford tonics and drugs to fight HIV continue to have their CD4 count under control whilst our poor aunties, cousins, brothers and uncles in the townships and villages continue to die under the AIDS stigma whilst receiving the very anti-retrovirals being imbibed by everyone with HIV.
It is even more interesting that people like you and me can sit on the sidelines, by our posh houses with DSTV and connect to the net with our fancy computers and do nothing but commentate whilst people continue to die.
My dear patriotic brother and sister, what did you do for this rainbow nation (with only a flag to show for it)? What message about HIV/ AIDS are you sending across? Have you ever donated a food parcel to a poor person with HIV?
Afterall, we can deliberate, chat, whine, judge and all but up until the poor people with AIDS don’t lead balanced diets, with access to clean water, and continue to get multiple infections through irresponsible sexual behaviour then believe me when I say the very antiretrovirals being punted will continue to kill our people with no one accounting for this genocide.
And just to be controversial, I think AIDS is caused by “amongst other things” lack of access to quality information about this syndrome with multiple diseases.
Matt
Well AIDS did not do the trick – people did not get the message. So now a new plague from God/Nature – 4 dead so far!