Dear South Africans
As we look back to 1976 and remembering our brothers and sisters who died fighting for the future of our country it is also important to reflect on what is currently happening in our country. The 1976 Soweto uprising was a proof that when young people come together to fight against one common challenge the success rate becomes very high. The 2015 Fees Must Fall campaign was also one of the many examples that shows the power of the SA youth when they are united.
A question that we should be asking today is, have we had a powerful youth voice in a fight against HIV/AIDS?
As we look back to the past, it is also important to look at the history of the SA massacres in the 20th and 21st century in comparison with the HIV epidemic.
Name Date Deaths
Rand rebellion 08-18 March 1922 153 (about 15 a day)
Durban riot 13&14 January 1949 142 (about 71 a day)
Sharpeville Mass 21 March 1960 69
Soweto uprising 16 June 1976 176
Boipatong Massacre 17 June 1992 45
Marikana Massacre 16 August 2012 34
According to stat SA an estimated 280 000 South Africans died of HIV related deaths in 2010, about 767 people were dying on daily basis (1 in every 2 minutes) of HIV related deaths. If you were to unfairly compare the daily HIV related deaths, with the once off massacres that are commemorated every year, you would see a huge difference and maybe even start understanding the seriousness of HIV/AIDS.
Ebola is known as one of the most dangerous diseases in the world and many South Africans were extremely afraid of it. Over 2years in the latest Ebola epidemic about 11 325 people died of Ebola in the whole world. The same number of people who died of Ebola over 2 years globally, would die in less than 15 days in SA of HIV related deaths. However at some point most of us were more worried about Ebola even more than we were of HIV/AIDS. The main question is why?
Children are extremely affected by HIV, in 2012 410 000 children aged 0 to 14 were living with HIV in SA. About 2.3 million children in SA lost their parents through HIV/AIDS. In 2011, about 50% deaths of children were HIV related. This should make us to be even more concerned about HIV/AIDS.
As we continue with empowering woman in SA it is important to also note that in 2012, HIV prevalence among woman was almost twice as high as men. HIV incidence among woman aged 15 – 24 were more than 4 times greater than that of man in the same age group. In 2011 an estimated 70.4 maternal deaths were HIV related. Many important questions arises from this, why are HIV prevalence and incidence so high among woman? What negative role does this play in woman empowerment? How can we change this?
There have been so many HIV prevention strategies in SA such as Prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT), condom use, voluntary medical male circumcision, HIV education and awareness and many others. Most of these has reduced the transmission rate drastically, especially the PMTCT, however it is important to note that more than 1000 South Africans were getting infected with HIV on daily basis in 2012. This shows that we are not winning the battle against HIV/AIDS, we are far from it. Why do we still have this very high number of people getting infected daily? Young people are leading in the new infection rates.
The current government has done an amazing job in a fight against HIV. HIV transmission has been reduced from >20% in 2004, to <2% in 2015, life expectancy at birth increased from 52 years in 2005, to 61 years in 2014. Aids related deaths estimated to have decreased from 51% - 31% (of all deaths).
I am therefore of the view that our government has played it role, now it is the right time for the society to lead the fight against HIV/Aids especially the youth since it is mostly affected by this. The spirit and energy of 1976 Soweto Uprising & 2015 Fees must fall campaign shall be spread among young people for them to lead it. If we as young people really understand the danger posed by HIV, than we should be very worried about the future of our country. It’s can’t be right that we only wait for the World Aids Day to commemorate and remember those who lost their lives through HIV/AIDS.
We are in a war, a war against HIV/Aids, this is one of the biggest wars that we have ever been to as SA. When you are in a war you don’t sleep combatable until you win it, you don’t rest until you defeat an enemy, you don’t normalize the situation until the war is over. In this war we lose more than 700 people a day.
The previously disadvantaged groups are even more disadvantaged by HIV/AIDS today. Black people are mostly affected by HIV/Aids with about 80% of HIV positive people being black South Africans. Young people are affected, woman are really affected. A complete freedom shall go hand in hand with HIV free generation.
Former President Nelson Mandela once said “Many people suffering from AIDS are not killed by the disease itself, they are killed by the stigma surrounding everybody who has HIV/Aids.” As a society have we done enough to stop the HIV/AIDS stigma? Those who still discriminate against HIV positive people, shall be treated the same way we have started to treat racists.
It can’t be business as usual as usual, with so many people dying each an everyday, and many getting infected daily. If this is not a crisis, than what is a better word to describe it? If we aren’t captured by HIV/Aids than what is happening? If we sleep today, we will wake up tomorrow and we would have lost more of our brothers and sisters whom we shouldn’t have lost.
As we will soon be hosting a world Aids conference in Durban, how much more opportunity are we going to have as a general public affected by HIV/Aids? It is good that we have our leaders and academics leading the fight against HIV/Aids, but I think the most powerful voice is missing, the voice of the people is missing. We defeated the apartheid government, I see no reason why should we be defeated by a disease that is preventable. As we lead the fight against HIV/Aids, we need to focus more on prevention and fighting against the stigma.
Deep from my heart I would like to ask all South Africans, to ask themselves a question and that question would be “What role have I played in a fight against HIV?”.
Best Regards
Sanele Sano Ngcobo
