Open Letter to Members of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces on the Opening of Parliament

February 4, 2000

Dear friends, colleagues and comrades

As you know, quite possibly through personal experience, South Africa is now in the grips of an AIDS crisis. The AIDS epidemic is becoming visible, not as a theoretical threat, but in all of our experiences of the loss or illness of friends, family, colleagues and comrades. AIDS is not a myth, but a daily reality. AIDS is a threat to reconstruction and development. It risks reversing many of the brave steps that you have taken, as South Africa 's elected leaders, to lay a foundation for economic progress, social justice and equality.
We are writing to appeal to you on a matter which is a national priority: mobilise a campaign for HIV prevention and affordable treatment for HIV/AIDS.
We believe that one of the greatest obstacles to effective HIV prevention, is the mistaken belief that providing treatment for people with HIV is something our country cannot afford.
HIV is a condition about which a great deal is now known, and for which a wide range of effective, life-improving and life-prolonging treatments now exist. It is a grave injustice that these treatments are only available for people in industrialised countries and wealthy people in our own country. The tolerance of global and national apartheid in access to health care is something we should all reject.

We therefore call on you:
*	To announce immediately that pregnant women with HIV will receive AZT or Nevirapine within 6 weeks and then begin to implement a national programme for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission by April 1st 2000. This will require a commitment of resources to improve the availability of counselling, HIV testing and drugs that can substantially reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission.

*	To instruct the Department of Health to urgently finalise and publish Standard Treatment Guidelines for HIV/AIDS, in particular for the treatment of opportunistic infections.

*	To insist that the private sector dramatically increase its involvement in AIDS prevention. In particular, request pharmaceutical companies to supply essential medications at an affordable price to the government, and if the prices they offer are unaffordable, issue compulsory licenses (under the powers granted to you by the Patents Act) for essential medications.

*	To prioritise and speed up public health service transformation and improvements, so as to make it possible to offer HIV testing, counselling and treatments to all people who need it.
We realise that providing treatment raises many difficult social, infrastructural and ethical issues. But it is not a challenge that we can afford to surrender. If you begin to take these steps, the Treatment Action Campaign will mobilise millions of people nationally and internationally in a campaign to insist on South Africa's right to secure affordable and sustainable treatments for millions of its citizens.

Yours in the struggle for a better life for all
Mazibuko Jara 

Zackie Achmat
Interim Chairperson Person with HIV
Treatment Action Campaign TAC

Mercy Makhalemele
Person with HIV
NAPWA