14 December 2001
The South African Communist Party (SACP) welcomes the judgment handed down today by Judge Chris Botha of the Pretoria High Court on the court application brought by the Treatment Action Campaign for the South African government to make Nevirapine available in the public health system in order to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
The SACP regrets that this matter had to go to court. The reality of HIV/AIDS requires that people and government together are mobilised to maximise our collective response. The SACP welcomes and salutes the mobilisation of social forces against HIV/AIDS. The SACP is also aware that most of South African media will present the judgment as a bad loss for government and thus pitying, once more, government and people. This cannot be our country’s response to the judgment.
We cannot afford this kind of triumphalism or a failure to abide with and implement the court decision. This would undermine this important victory for our people. We need unity and to see the bigger picture presented by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the midst of all other massive socio-economic inequalities facing our country. This kind of unity in purpose and action is possible.
The judgment is an important step forward in the struggle for access to affordable and efficient health care for all. The SACP calls on all South Africans, government, religious leaders, political leaders, trade unions, women, workers, young people, and all civil society organisations to work together to prevent new HIV infections and ensure that people with HIV/AIDS get life-prolonging and effective treatment. This includes the development of a government-led national treatment plan that takes forward our victory against the drug companies in April.