Fight in honour of Prudence

Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) activists have pledged to continue the fight against HIV, Aids and Tuberculosis (TB) in honour of activist Prudence Mabele, pictured, and researcher Dr Mark Wainberg.

Mabele, who was the founder and executive director of Positive Women’s Network, succumbed to pneumonia at the age of 46 in a Rosebank hospital in Johannesburg.

She broke ground in 1992 in South Africa by publicly revealing her HIV-positive status. She was buried last week.

Wainberg was a Canadian HIV researcher who died in April this year, aged 71.

He was a microbiologist who is credited with identifying a drug that became critical to treating people infected with HIV, and later becoming a leading advocate for access to antiretroviral (ARVs) drugs.

TAC deputy general secretary Sibongile Tshabalala said that in Mabele’s honour and memory, activists pledge to work tirelessly to eliminate the unequal access to new ARVs, TB drugs and tools for people living with HIV everywhere.

“We pledge to work together to do everything we can to strengthen the health system so it works for all, not just for the wealthy. We pledge to hold governments, donors, corporations and service providers accountable for delivering on the care for people living with HIV,” Tshabalala said.

“We pledge to be innovative and unconventional in our approaches to ending the AIDS epidemic. Long live the legacies of Dr Mark Wainberg and Prudence Nobantu Mabele, long live.”

Tshabalala was delivering a speech on behalf of activists at the International Aids Society Conference in Paris, France, on Sunday.

“Where is the research into new TB drugs and TB-HIV drugs? Why is it so difficult to get a fixed dose drug for TB? If Prudence was alive today, she would say to hell with sitting in this meeting, stop talking, take action.” – ANA