HIV/Aids
Jaspreet Kindra and Glenda Daniels The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called on the government to end its “scientific speculation” about the cause of Aids and concentrate on providing affordable treatment to people infected with HIV. Cosatu also says that providing medication to HIV-positive pregnant women and rape victims is “morally and medically right” – an implicit criticism of the African National Congress government’s controversial procrastination over whether to fund such treatment. The union federation’s position on the disease is contained in a document prepared by Cosatu for its national congress on September 16, in which the union federation expresses its concern about the government’s stance on HIV/Aids. While the tripartite alliance has come under increasing strain over economic policy, this is the first time an alliance member has taken up the cudgels over HIV/Aids. Elaborating on the document, Cosatu president Willie Madisha said this week: “We believe that indeed HIV causes Aids and that is not disputable.” Madisha said Cosatu was concerned that the government’s conservative economic policy would seriously restrict the resources to fight the epidemic. He said the government’s macro-economic policy prevents adequate resources being made available for education, prevention and treatment of HIV/Aids.
“All this talk and debate about the cause of Aids prevents people from trying to deal with the problem,” Madisha said, referring to the debate on the cause of the disease led by President Thabo Mbeki. The resolution on HIV/Aids has been proposed by the South African Democratic Teachers Union of which Madisha is general secretary, South African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union and the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union. The resolution notes: “There is scientific evidence to support the efficacy of anti- retroviral drugs in the control of HIV/Aids.”
The resolution says providing medication to HIV-positive pregnant women makes good economic sense in terms of costs saved on treatment of HIV-positive children. Meanwhile, Madisha said the congress would endorse sustained protest action against the latest proposed amendments to labour legislation introduced since 1994. The changes have been touted by the government as “investor friendly”, while Cosatu has warned there could be “blood on the streets” because of the amendments’ erosion of worker rights. The government has proposed, among others, extending the 45- hour working week and cancelling overtime pay on Sunday. Madisha was coy over whether Cosatu would endorse the call by some of its affiliates to make their support of the ANC in the forthcoming local government elections contingent on ANC candidates’ not endorsing privatisation. Madisha said Cosatu has maintained that it will campaign for the ruling party, adding: “But the government must address workers’ concerns about privatisation, unemployment, the amendments to the Labour Relations Act and so on, before the election.” The issue of the basic income grant is also on the agenda. Here, the demand for a basic income to be extended to all unemployed will be further reiterated by the federation. The resolution is for the government and business to contribute to this fund, as workers’ wages alone will be inadequate.
Other issues to be tackled at the congress include education, nuclear power and strengtheing and providing leadership in the civic movement.
@Satellite police station disappears bit by bit
Peter Dickson A police station in a Port Eliza-beth crime zone, abandoned two months ago because of a manpower shortage in the provincial police service, is being systematically stolen. All that remains of the Korsten satellite station, which was being rented from the Department of Public Works and is located along a main traffic route near the city’s busiest hospital, are the outer walls and sections of roofing. The windows, the doors, their frames, cupboards, desks, electrical fittings and even the wiring have been stripped piece by piece since the station shut down. Residents of Korsten, an inner-city area plagued by gang warfare and violent crime, are outraged by the closure. “Armed robberies, stabbings, muggings, rapes – all sorts of crimes are committed here,” said anxious resident Lionel Butler. “I can’t believe that instead of building more police stations in the area they have closed the only one here – and it is being carried away piece by piece by vandals.” Port Elizabeth area police representative Superintendent Johan Greunen explained the station had been closed because of a manpower shortage, while media liaison officer Captain Johann Buys said serious crime in the city had decreased “substantially” over the past few weeks. Buys attributed the “remarkable drop” to the nationwide Operation Crackdown, but could not produce statistics because of Minister of Safety and Security Steve Tshwete’s ban on disclosing crime information.
In March last year a prefabricated Port Elizabeth high school awaiting repair and refurbishment was stolen overnight along with its surrounding security fence. All that remained of Kwazakhele’s Sophakama High School – which was returned piecemeal from suddenly studious shebeens and nearby informal settlements, where it was used for building shacks, once it was too hot to handle – were concrete struts embedded in the foundation. Hammering away during the day in full view of neighbours, a procession of donkey carts, panel vans and trucks had carted everything away during the night.