Doctor Fareed Abdullah on Monday denied he had been forced by the African National Congress to resign from one of the Western Cape’s top Aids-fighting posts, as alleged by the Democratic Alliance.
”It is absolutely not true that I was forced to resign by the ANC,” said Abdullah, the deputy director general of provincial health responsible for the Aids programme in the region.
Abdullah was responding to a statement by Robin Carlisle, DA spokesperson on Aids and opposition representative on the Provincial Aids Council.
Carlisle claimed Abdullah’s departure was a ”clear victory for the forces of darkness” led, according to Carlisle, by the national Minister of Health and condoned by President Thabo Mbeki.
Carlisle claimed Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and Mbeki were determined that no effective campaign against Aids in the country would be allowed to survive and that those who attempted to deal with the most serious problem South Africa faced ”will sooner or later be driven from public life”.
Carlisle further claimed Abdullah’s departure was also evidence of the ”cowardice” of Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool and Health MEC Pierre Uys, who were always silent about the achievements of the provincial Aids programme.
However, Abdullah countered, saying he had the highest regard for Rasool and his role and leadership in the provincial government.
”Rasool has always been a source of great support.”
Abdullah said his departure did not mean a reversal of the implementation of the provincial Aids programme, because the Aids team was more than one person and always had been.
”There are very competent individuals who will be able to run the programme much better than I.”
Abdullah said it was time to tone down the political tensions around Aids, because these tensions had definitely distracted from the fight against the pandemic.
Abdullah officially leaves his post on Friday 13 to take up a three-year stint at the International Aids Alliance in the United Kingdom.
A weekend newspaper reported that Abdullah’s resignation was one of two — the other his KwaZulu/Natal counterpart Dr Chris Jack. – Sapa