A meeting last weekend between the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the South African National Aids Council (Sanac), attended by the Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and other governement officials, bought the government more time to announce a national HIV/Aids treatment plan.
The meeting had been arranged by the council to defuse the TAC’s civil disobedience campaign at the end of April. Most observers expected the meeting to discuss a report from the Treasury and Department of Health that provides detailed calculations of the affordability of a national anti-retroviral treatment programme.
But Deputy President Jacob Zuma, chairperson of Sanac, said the report was almost complete and a decision to introduce an anti-retroviral programme would be taken “as soon as possible”.
“We were told the report would be presented to the Cabinet soon, but we understand that it may be tabled by next week,” said Nonkosi Khumalo, the TAC’s executive secretary.
At a press conference organised without the TAC’s knowledge this week, Zuma said the meeting was frank and had discussed issues ranging from the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) process, the TAC’s civil disobedience campaign and the provision of anti-retroviral drugs.
Nedlac is the national forum representing labour, the government, business and civil society that drew up a draft agreement last December on a national HIV/Aids prevention and treatment programme. The task team report is central to the discussions that will be held at a Nedlac meeting at the end of the month, because it sets out the costs of the draft agreement on a national Aids plan.
Khumalo said most of the delegates at the weekend meeting represented the government, which had called Sanac’s supposed independence from the government into question.
“The minister asked us why we were mobilising international organisations [for the civil disobedience campaign] and it was clear that they wanted a resolution that we would suspend the campaign indefinitely.”
Khumalo said the TAC would give Sanac until the end of the month to uphold its commitment to a national Aids treatment programme.