MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE
INKATHA
FREEDOM PARTY
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August 13th 2007 Dear residents of KwaZulu
Natal, As a veteran of endless battles with the ANC government over the inadequate response to the HIV/Aids pandemic during my time as Premier of KwaZulu Natal, I have been alarmed by President Mbeki’s calculated dismissal of Deputy Health Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge.
The
deputy minister was, bluntly speaking, a breath of fresh air in
the stuffy environment inhabited by Aids denialists and policy
saboteurs. While leading
the development of the HIV/Aids National Strategic Plan together
with Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka, Madlala-Routledge
unequivocally called for people to get tested and, if necessary,
seek treatment with anti-retrovirals. In addition, Madlala-Routledge was beginning to rebuild badly damaged relationships between the Department of Health and the country's HIV clinicians and scientists. Her sacking indicates that the President still remains opposed to the science of HIV and to appropriately responding to the pandemic. Her departure is bad news for the millions infected and affected by HIV/Aids. Even more strangely, the government, which had never disposed of anyone on the grounds of non-performance, fired a cabinet member for her unique ability to openly admit policy mistakes and propose amends. This attitude to the spirit of reform smacks of the harsh treatment of my own attempts to secure mass distribution of Nevirapine to HIV-positive pregnant women in KwaZulu Natal in 2003. Many of you will remember that the battle ended up in the Constitutional Court which ruled in my favour as Premier of KwaZulu Natal and, ultimately, in favour of HIV-positive pregnant women in this province. The timing of Madlala-Routledge’s sacking on the eve of Women's Day is equally tragic. At a time when we celebrate the achievements of the South African women, a heroic woman who has consistently taken a principled stand in defense of life and human dignity loses her job and with it an opportunity to make a real difference.
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