A Traditional Leaders’ Summit held in March yielded excellent results, including a pledge signed by the Department of Health, SANAC and the Traditional Leaders which will see the three institutions working together to address South Africa’s HIV epidemic.
“I wish to speak about HIV prevention programmes and interventions which work for traditional leadership.
Perhaps I should start by saying that although South Africa accounts for 0.7% of the world’s population, we make up 16% of all people living with HIV globally. We definitely have to do something about HIV, we have to act and we should act now.
We are doing well in terms of facing this disease, with the ART drugs as the key intervention, which is measurably reversing the effects of HIV. We have to do more to achieve the goal of zero infections sooner.
On prevention, we have been talking about abstaining, condomising and faithfulness. We should continue to preach this message as it is critical for prevention. Our campaigns should reach out to rural areas and Traditional Councils (TC) should be used as HIV centres supporting clinics and other health structures available in our areas.
I am of the view that all the TCs should be capacitated with basic HIV awareness and counseling so that they can handle cases related to HIV.
This will further raise awareness to Traditional Councils officials, and will extend awareness to the communities.
Our communication campaigns and broader mobilisation campaigns should be strengthened to rebuke the myth that having sex with young girls can cure HIV. We have learnt that older men with a greater accumulated risk of HIV exposure are infecting younger women. We have to set the record straight and extend this message to our rural areas.
The Institution of Traditional Leadership (ITL) supports gender equality and women empowerment. Gender inequality and gender-based violence are key drivers of HIV transmission. Our gender committees as Houses of Traditional Leaders and programmes on gender equality and women empowerment should talk to this aspect.
We must forge partnerships with the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities and its sector partners to strengthen our efforts from the perspective of gender equality and women empowerment as a preventative measure.
The summit was attended by the National and Provincial Houses of Traditional Leaders’ executive leadership and a representative from each district. The outcome of the meeting was a recommitment from Traditional Leaders to be key players in South Africa’s HIV response and concretised the partnership between the Traditional Leaders and the Department of Health and SANAC. A ground-breaking pledge, aimed at the renewal of the HIV, Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign in rural areas under traditional leaders was signed by representatives of each of the institutions.
During the signing ceremony on Monday, the traditional leaders, under the auspices of SANAC, presented a comprehensive prevention strategy which includes HCT, initiation and medical male circumcision and fight against drug and substance abuse.
The strategy also includes awareness campaigns, demystification of myths about HIV and TB and fighting discrimination and stigmatisation.
In their pledge, the traditional leaders commit to making a contribution to the achievement of the goals set out in the NSP on HIV, STIs and TB 2012–2016. They will also intensify their role in the HCT campaign by providing leadership and information on the importance of the campaign to their people. Opposite and below is a summarised version of a speech given by Inkosi P T Zulu of the National House of Traditional Leaders:
We must fight the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. Some of the interventions that could be put in place are:
- Appointment of Traditional Council rangers and focus on other employment opportunities
- Increase our efforts in resuscitating vegetable gardens, with the principle of “one household one vegetable garden” in all our Traditional Communities.
- Small-scale farming, including participation of women in farming and other farming structures.
There is more that could be done by the institution in this regard, we have to put more effort to win this battle.
Drug and substance abuse amongst young people, are associated with HIV infection. SANAC must join forces with those who are taking on this battle. We have committed ourselves to work with the President to realize the objectives of his Drug Master Plan. Dr Motsoaledi, we urge you and your colleagues to do something about these taverns. They breed evil.
We agree with SANAC and the Department of Health that promoting the use of condoms is high on our agenda. The two most effective prevention methods available to us at this time are HIV testing and medical male circumcision. We should encourage these as we make Traditional Councils our HIV response centres, and ensure that they don’t run out of condoms. This will promote access to condoms and minimise condom wastage.
HIV testing is the key to both prevention of HIV and access to antiretroviral treatment. As the institution of traditional leadership, we should encourage our people to go for testing. Testing should be available in the community, in Traditional Councils and through all NGOs.
Initiation and Medical male circumcision are also key prevention mechanisms in our fight against HIV. Circumcision must be emphasized that this has to be the complete excision of the foreskin and should be performed by competent people. Circumcision reduces the risk of HIV transmission in men by up to 60%.
My leaders, I am of the opinion that this is our prevention package as the institution of traditional leadership. I believe that your are better positioned to restructure this package in a manner that will enhance our response to HIV.
I thank you. “