TAC Calls for All-Party Group on HIV/AIDS in South African Parliament

The South African HIV/AIDS treatment advocacy group Treatment Action Campaign on Wednesday called on the African National Congress -- which increased its majority in parliament in this month's national election -- to form an all-party group on HIV/AIDS, South Africa's Cape Argus reports (Caelers, Cape Argus, 4/23). There are approximately 5.3 million South Africans living with HIV/AIDS, the highest number of cases in any country in the world (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/14). The group in a post-election newsletter said that country-wide electoral support of the party "represented an unequivocal mandate for the government to deliver meaningful social improvements," including improving public health infrastructure and its response to HIV/AIDS, according to the SAPA/Business Day. The group added that ANC should not see the electoral support as justification for the "unnecessary confusion and confrontation" on HIV/AIDS between 1999 and 2003, the SAPA/Business Day reports. "We urge the African National Congress to call all parties together in Parliament and to form an all-party group on HIV/AIDS to ensure that legislation, regulation and constituency needs are addressed by all legislators," TAC said (SAPA/Business Day, 4/23).

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