Treatment Action Campaign

On Thursday 22 May, Cape Town changed forever. The xenophobic violence that started 1,200 kilometres away in Gauteng spread to Du Noon township. On Friday the TAC offices began to get reports of violence on trains and Somali shops being looted. The details were scanty, but by Friday evening the consequences became visible even in the affluent city centre. About 150 people sought refuge outside Caledon Square, the city's main police station. Hundreds more gathered at the central train station so they could catch a train to Johannesburg in the morning and then leave the country.

Hate Crime: The murder of Eudy Simelane 31-year-old Eudy Simelane former Banyana Banyana midfielder was gang raped and stabbed to death, last week Monday 28th of April 2007. Her body was laid to rest last week Sunday 4th of May. She was murdered in KwaTema, Ekurhuleni east of Johannesburg, returning home with friends from a tavern. She was confronted by a gang who allegedly gang raped and repeatedly stabbed her to death. Her half-naked body was found in a field near the hostel KwaThema last Tuesday.

TAC Ekurhuleni Releases its first District Newsletter.

Yesterday on the 7 March'08 we(TAC reps from each sub district in metro) attended the WC NACOSA PSP meeting with some reps from the DOH & ALN.
The meeting was attended by about 80 people which does not represent all the departments, NGOs, sectors and structures within the metro. On Tuesday we had a meeting to strategise around the way they do the meeting and to go their to tell them that this is not consultation and plans should come from districts first before they can make a draft.

South Africa has a very progressive and democratic constitution but disturbingly so it's only on paper in reality it's the opposite. The judicial system is failing people of this country badly. It's almost 3 years since Nandipha's death, she was raped and murdered on the 15 December 2005, since her rape and murder the trial of her alleged murderers has still not finished!! How hard is it for the prosecutor to proceed with charging one of the accused who confessed?

When a woman is pregnant she hopes for a healthy baby that she can take care of until that child becomes an adult. In 1998 I became pregnant with my first child. I was only 18 years old and I had just started dating and had sex for the first time. During my pregnancy my doctor asked to take some bloods for testing and I agreed. He just told me that he would be testing for infections that might affect the baby and he never explained to me what type of infection he would be checking for.

 Nkhensani Mavasa, TAC's deputy-chairperson, tells her story to Sylvia Jacobs, a TAC trainee journalist

My name is Nkhensani Mavasa from a village in Limpopo Province, South Africa.