A Swaziland member of Parliament who drew international criticism for his remarks on HIV/Aids, apologised repeatedly in Johannesburg on Thursday.
”I’m very sorry. If you need me to show a sign of how sorry I am, I’m ready to show,” Swaziland MP Timothy Myeni told a media briefing.
Myeni, who is also a pastor and a member of a popular gospel musical group, caused controversy when last week he was reported in The Times of Swaziland as suggesting HIV-positive people ”should be branded on the buttocks”.
”Before having sex with anyone, people will then check the buttocks of their partners before proceeding with their mission,” the newspaper reported him as saying.
However, Myeni now wished to distance himself from this comment.
”I want to make the point about the statement that has tarnished my reputation, I want to disassociate myself from it,” said Myeni.
”Maybe it was a trap from the devil to destroy my name,” he suggested.
Alternatively, Myeni speculated the controversy had been created by God.
”Maybe God had another purpose in my uttering these things that I can become involved to help those who are suffering from this,” said Myeni.
He said the remark was ”not a statement, but a question”, posed during an Aids workshop with policymakers.
”During a question and answer, [I asked] maybe those [who] are found to be with the virus would be given a mark somewhere so they can get quicker treatment,” said Myeni.
”The word ‘branded’ has never come out of my mouth.”
Myeni said that at the workshop it was explained to him the branding issue was not appropriate and he withdrew his question.
”I’m here to withdraw those things I asked that are really bad, which I now realise,” he said.
”I’m humbled before you and God and everyone here,” said Myeni.
Myeni added that his was not the most controversial question at the workshop and other policymakers had suggested Aids was curable.
”I can tell you now, this thing was minor compared to what other people asked,” he said.
Myeni described his motivation for asking the question with an analogy using a cellphone and a lion.
He said a person who was walking with an expensive cellphone might be threatened by a lion.
”You could easily try to throw the cellphone at the lion [to scare it],” said Myeni. — Sapa