South Africa is the worlds leading AIDS community with statistics that beggar belief. An estimated 5.6 million people were living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa in 2009, the highest number of people in any country.
Considering the spectacular record of failure that has accompanied the ANC years in power, these 3 points arising from my conversation last night will surprise nobody.
Zuma has been taking antiretrovirals for his HIV+ status for ten years. This makes his 'shower defense' after the alleged rape of his HIV+ house guest entirely plausible. Its probably safe to assume that his multiple wives and all the people they sleep with are similarly affected and are themselves on antiretrovirals as well.
Thabo Mbeki was taking antiretrovirals for his HIV+ even when denying AIDS was a virus, saying "The cause was poverty, bad nourishment and general ill-health. The solution was not expensive western medicine, but the alleviation of poverty in Africa." Some 365,000 deaths followed, but not his, thanks to the antiretrovirals. His health minister,the now deceased Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, had proposed garlic, lemon juice and beetroot as AIDS remedies - while hundreds of thousands died and billions were saved on the Health budget spend for antiretrovirals.
80% of the current ministers are on antiretrovirals.
Heres an interesting page on the history of HIV in SA.
