His Majesty the King of the Zulu Nation has come to speak to the people of this region because he realises that our Nation is confronting an unprecedented threat. On this occasion he has joined both President Mandela and myself so that with our joint presence on this podium we can signify the importance of the threat that AIDS-HIV poses to the whole of our Nation. It is important that when confronted by such a terrible enemy our Nation closes its ranks and finds once again its unity of purpose and the resolve to succeed against the AIDS-HIV infection. I thank His Majesty the King of the Zulu Nation for having heard the call of danger which now rises from within the inner soul of the Zulu Nation, and for having joined hands with amaKhosi and other structures of our Nation to ensure that the message about AIDS-HIV is understood by all and is heard throughout all our communities.

His Majesty, as the incumbent Monarch, represents the unity of our Nation which subsists in spite of divisions or any internal conflicts. The fact that His Majesty is with us today underscores the need to work together in unity to bring about a new beginning for our Nation. The struggle against AIDS-HIV shows how futile many of the divisions are which in the past have set brothers against brothers and sisters against sisters. When confronted with the likelihood, if not the imminence, of wide-spread death, it becomes clear that we as a Nation must be united and must operate with unity of purpose and unity of leadership. His Majesty will speak to us words that we must hear from the perspective of people who want to be united as a Nation so that together we can defeat this terrible threat. I myself have spoken on many occasions and in many venues about the AIDS-HIV infection. I have outlined the facts of the matter and the measures which can be taken to prevent the spread of this epidemic.

During my many speeches I have dispelled the superstitions which often surround the facts of this epidemic, ranging from the stupid belief that one could cleanse oneself from AIDS by raping a virgin, to the equally erroneous idea that AIDS victims should be isolated rather than tenderly cared for as victims rather than perpetrators. For many months I have spoken about AIDS-HIV across the length and breadth of the country and I have done so with such an open and blunt language that at times it has even made me blush as it forced me to express things that within our culture often go unsaid. However, I have always stressed that AIDS-HIV can only be defeated if we break any inhibition and speak openly about the facts of the matter. However, no matter how much I have spoken about AIDS-HIV, there is a different significance to the fact that today the same themes are going to be presented to you by our King.

This is an important moment both for our Nation as well as for our Monarch, for in the face of such great need and danger by which our Nation is threatened, it is proper for our Monarch to speak to the Nation and for the Nation to hear. I know that His Majesty the King of the Zulu Nation deeply cares for his father's people and that his heart is behind our struggle against AIDS and HIV. I thank him for having joined this Awareness Day and for giving with his presence and his words an even more pressing urgency and importance to the echoing message which all leaders are now trying to spread across the country - the message that together we can defeat AIDS-HIV if we accept the discipline and the responsibility to adopt the necessary measures.