20 June 2002
The South African Communist Party (SACP) is pleased at the announcement by the Bob Tucker, the Chief Executive Officer of the Banking Council of South Africa that it is planning to talk with the life insurance industry in order to address special life cover and other appropriate financial services for clients of banks living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
This is an acknowledgement that the current eviction of HIV/AIDS orphans is a violation of human rights. In many cases, these evictions are compounded by policies of insurance companies which exclude HIV/AIDS cover.
The SACP has placed the issue of HIV/AIDS and the financial sector highly on the campaign to make banks serve the people and on the NEDLAC negotiations in preparation for the NEDLAC Summit on the Financial Sector.
The SACP calls on the Banking Council and the Life Officers Association to table concrete and positive proposals to the NEDLAC negotiations and the NEDLAC Summit on the Financial Sector.
HIV/AIDS is a serious threat to economic transformation and the building of a better life for all South Africans. Given its particular impact on employed workers, all financial institutions need to take measures to ensure that credit, finance and credit insurance are available to people living with HIV/AIDS in a sustainable manner which puts people before profit maximisation.
CONTACT
Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara
Department of Media, Information and Publicity
South African Communist Party
Tel - 011 339 3621
Fax - 011 339 4244
Cell - 083 651 0271
Email - sacp1@wn.apc.org