South Africa's Removal of Health Minister Praised

Within hours of taking office, new South African President Kgalema Motlanthe announced Thursday that Manto Tshabalala-Msimang would no longer serve as health minister. On Friday, AIDS activists hailed the decision, saying Tshabalala-Msimang caused hundreds of thousands of South African AIDS patients to die unnecessarily by promoting nutritional supplements over antiretroviral treatment.

Tshabalala-Msimang was one of ousted President Thabo Mbeki's closest allies. Mbeki was notorious for his denial that HIV caused AIDS and his refusal to accept the scope of South Africa's epidemic. The country has the world's highest HIV/AIDS caseload, with some 5.4 million people infected.

"Over 2 million South Africans died of AIDS during the presidency of Thabo Mbeki. At least some 300,000 deaths could have been avoided," said Treatment Action Campaign, which threw an impromptu party in Cape Town celebrating Tshabalala-Msimang's removal. "Mbeki and his health minister pursued a policy of politically supported AIDS denialism and undermined the scientific governance of medicine."

Tshabalala-Msimang repeatedly stressed her mistrust of antiretroviral drugs, preferring nutritional remedies like garlic, lemon, beetroot, potato, and olive oil for treating HIV/AIDS. Critics gave her the nicknames "Dr. Garlic" and "Dr. Beetroot."

Speaking to reporters Friday after being sworn in to her new job as head of government communications, Tshabalala-Msimang rejected the criticism. "The only critics were the media, and the media has lost perception," she said.

Veteran anti-apartheid activist Barbara Hogan, who had criticized Mbeki for not firing Tshabalala-Msimang, will be sworn in as health minister along with other new Cabinet appointees this Friday.

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