Critics estimate that businesses, and thus the country’s economy, are losing millions of rands each year to HIV/Aids. Research shows that between 10% and 40% of the country’s workforce is infected with the virus, although no exact figures are available.
Worldwide millions of HIV-positive people are actively contributing to their country’s economy. According to the international labour website 36-million of the 39-million people living with HIV/Aids are still working.
When taking into consideration that 90% of South Africans living with HIV/Aids are in the most productive period of their lives, it is a necessity that the virus is actively fought in the business sector says the South African Business Coalition of HIV/Aids (Sabcosa).
The coalition further states that the workplace is the ideal environment for tackling the epidemic as employers and employees group together regularly in an environment to disseminate information and undertake education programmes.
“Providing care and treatment for HIV-positive employees could reduce the financial load of HIV/Aids by as much as 40%,” it says.
The mining, metals processing, agri-business and transport sectors have been identified as those most affected by the virus. Almost a quarter of employees are infected with HIV/Aids, with prevalence rates two to three times higher among skilled and unskilled workers than among supervisors and managers.
Between 60% and 80% of mining, manufacturing, financial services and transport companies have implemented HIV/Aids awareness programmes.
“Companies such as De Beers and Anglo Platinum have developed fully fledged workplace HIV programmes that have now evolved into broader wellness programmes,” according to Sabcosa. But, not all sectors are grasping the necessity of actively addressing the Aids crisis.
“The hotel and leisure sector is not doing nearly enough to address the Aids crisis. The agriculture and retail sector can also do a lot more,” says Brad Mears, CEO of Sabcosa. “The mining, motor, insurance and financial sectors are the leading sectors in addressing the crisis.”
Mears says that companies such as Standard Bank, Eskom, De Beers, Mercedes-Benz South Africa, SAB, Volkswagen and Anglo Platinum are doing their best to address the pandemic.
“Small businesses can do a lot more to address the crisis, but they don’t see HIV/Aids as an issue they need to address,” Mears adds. “In a lot of cases they don’t even offer their workers a medical aid.”
The De Beers group, the largest diamond company in the world, has been at the forefront of a proactive HIV/Aids programme. The company’s provision of free antiretroviral treatment ensures that between 12 000 and 16 000 children can count on the support of at least one parent. In 2006, more than 1 000 employees and 335 dependants were enrolled in the mine’s programme.
“My biggest concern is that businesses are mostly following an internal response programme when offering HIV/Aids programmes and not addressing the real issue on a national level,” says David Harrison, CEO of loveLife. “A lot of Aids programmes are really good, but are focused on cutting the cost of losses suffered because of Aids and not to prevent HIV/Aids.”
“We should do HIV impact assessment like we do environmental assessment,” he adds.
Harrison also points out that some businesses might even be making the Aids crisis worse.
“The mining industry is often offering single-sex housing, with men living far away from their families, often in rural areas – this is breeding HIV/Aids,” he says. “Contract workers in the mining and forestry sector are not entitled to ARVs because they are not permanently employed. It is these workers that often work far away from their families, with very little money at their disposal.”
To effectively address the pandemic, “we need to generate young people with a sense of opportunity in life. That is why businesses need to start at schools and local communities to change perceptions and create opportunities,” explains Harrison.
Small businesses can address the crisis on another level by offering transport to school-children or sponsoring lunch money; they can also address the problem, he says. “HIV/Aids is not just a medical issue. It is an education, social and economic issue and should be addressed accordingly.”
An example of this is motoring company BMW South Africa. It is actively focusing on HIV prevention and is working closely with the local community. In one of its initiatives, the company has built a multipurpose centre in Soshanguve where it offers HIV/Aids education.
“We also offer a schools environmental education and development programme at 60 schools where we teach children how to take care of the environment and teach them general skills. We don’t bombard them with Aids education, but only educate them about Aids when they trust us enough,” says Richard Carter, director of communications for BMW South Africa.