The president questions the link between HIV and Aids, yet he is no medical doctor, nor disease specialist.
He relies on outdated statistics. He states that Aids is caused by poverty, yet his government wastes R48-billion on arms that South Africa does not need and will never use, unless involved in a conflict with the United States. Thabo Mbeki seems to want to rival Idi Amin as the greatest source of embarassment to the African continent. Letlotlo Lefoka, Vancouver, Canada
Mark Heywood is right (August 31) to question why “people with power let [the HIV/Aids pandemic] go on”.
Because of racism? Not unless we are now using the word “racism” to cover “nationalism” and “political self-interest”.
Sadly, no government, or alliance of governments, seems enthusiastic about actively defending the cause of oppressed people or preventing degradation of the environment beyond their own borders and the short-term memory of their voters, that is.
Yet we carry on, knowing that the world is small, because the effects of finding reasons not to take action will probably only surface after the next election. Claire Boffin, East London