This is an archive of the Treatment Action Campaign's public documents from December 1998 until October 2008. I created this website because the TAC's website appears unmaintained and people were concerned that it
was becoming increasingly hard to find important documents.

The menu items have been slightly edited and a new stylesheet applied to the site. But none of the documents have been edited, not even for minor errors. The text appears on this site as obtained from the Internet Archive.

The period covered by the archive encompassed the campaign for HIV medicines, the civil disobedience campaigns, the Competition Commission complaints, the 2008 xenophobic violence and the PMTCT, Khayelitsha health workers and Matthias Rath court cases.

Help Cape refugees

The Cape refugee emergency – where and how to help


Various organisations and individuals are working very hard to assist refugees and immigrants in the Western Cape. If you'd like to pitch in, this website (tac.org.za/helpnow) is where to find out how.

  • Where to drop off donations
  • What kind of donations and assistance is needed
  • How you can volunteer
  • What to do in your own community or place of business.
  • Updates on civil society calls to government

As relief efforts build, our needs change fast. Please check in regularly for updates.

Call TAC on 021 422 1490 / 084 542 6322.

These numbers are for use both if you would like to provide assistance, or if you know of a particular emergency that demands assistance.

You can donate in kind, or make direct deposits or credit card donations.

TAC handing over relief efforts

TAC is no longer accepting donations from the public, but instead requests that all donations be given to the various aid organisations that are providing aid relief to the various shelters and camps. It appears that the humanitarian organisations that usually do this kind of work have got the situation under control. TAC wishes to thank everyone for the enormous generosity seen in terms of time, money and goods received over the past weeks. Our deepest gratitude to those who responded to this terrible crisis. If you would like to make a donation, we encourage you to please call one of the organisations below:

Video of people displaced by xenophobic violence


Update on items needed

The distribution team has let us know that clothes are *no longer* needed by the refugees. The items needed remain:

  • Blankets
  • Toiletries, hygiene items (soap, antiseptic creams, sanitary pads, etc.)
  • Baby products (nappies, baby food, bottles)
  • Food (esp. maize meal, bread, non-perishable items like tinned food)

Urgent request for information: suppliers of rain coats and sleeping bags

We urgently need to source inexpensive plastic rain coats and inexpensive insulated sleeping bags. If you know where we can source these items, please contact Estelle on 084 730 0935.

Civil Society Rally Against Xenophobia

St George's Cathedral, Wale Street (corner Queen Victoria)
Tuesday 27 May 2008
12 - 2pm

The Western Cape Civil Society Coalition (made up of trade unions, FBOs, SAHRC and human, health and refugee rights organisations) has been formed to respond to and deal with the threats of and actual violent attacks against foreign nationals as well as the humanitarian crisis that has unfolded in our country.

This Tuesday we are having a rally/public meeting to speak out against the:

Update on Relief Efforts

An estimated 17,000 people have been displaced. At this time there are four big security shelters to which many people have been redirected, sometimes against their will. These facilities are Silverstroom (Atlantis), Youngsfield (Kenilworth), Soetwater (Kommetjie) and Harmony (Strand). There are still satellite churches, mosques and public shelters, however, even these are overcrowded. We had hoped that the city would have open the Civic Centre and other community halls, which they did not do, and thus we are left with many people with no place to go and no idea about the future.

As the Civil Society Coalition, we have been providing food, blankets, toiletries and other amenities along with medical care, and legal consultation to this body of distressed people. We have a comprehensive list of all facilities housing displaced people, and we try to ensure that they are fully stocked with whatever they require three times per day.

Items and assistance currently needed

Very helpful would be companies able to donate and/or deliver food and other supplies to sites where displaced persons are staying.

The following items are especially urgently:

  • Blankets
  • Toiletries, hygiene items (soap, antiseptic creams, sanitary pads, etc.)
  • Baby producsts — in particular:
    • Nappies
    • Formula feed
    • Baby food
    • Bottles
    • etc.
  • Food (esp. bread, non-perishable items like tinned food)

Appeal for volunteer translators

The City of Cape Town has indicated a need for translators who are able to speak one of the following languages:

  • French
  • Portuguese
  • Swahili
  • Somali
  • Arabic

If you speak one of these languages and can make yourself available, give us a call.

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