When Cyril Ramaphosa assumed the role of Deputy President in May 2014, he also took over the mantle of Chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council. Noting all of his work in this short space of time, it is going to be a busy, yet fruitful, period for him while in office. The Deputy President believes that while South Africa can claim many achievements in the HIV and TB response, we can’t yet claim success. He believes that a sustainable response is built on a meaningful collaboration between government, civil society and the private sector.
It is also important— going into the post-2015 era—that South Africa plays a role in keeping HIV prominent in the sustainable development framework. With Durban 2016 around the corner, South Africa is going to be on the global stage. We look forward to the Deputy President’s leadership in taking SANAC forward to ensure we can not only boast achievements, but a resounding success in our response to HIV and TB!