Aids funds for ‘whites’
Sanac claims racism in allocations
SOUTH African National Aids Council (Sanac) deputy chairman Steve Letsike has claimed that billions of rand meant to deal with HIV/Aids is being channelled to only “white-led” organisations.
He was briefing the media at the 8th SA Aids Conference in Durban in response to a statement by five civil society organisations threatening to withdraw from Sanac because it has been “reduced to irrelevance”.
The organisations are Treatment Action Campaign‚ Section27‚ Legal Resources Centre‚ Masithandane End-Hate Crimes Collective and Rural Health Advocacy Group.
They have accused Sanac of facing a “crisis of governance and legitimacy” and also criticised the National Strategic Plan (NSP) 2017 to 2022 that deals with HIV and TB and is guided by Sanac‚ saying it “fails to provide the muchneeded direction and leadership we require”.
But Letsike‚ in the company of other Sanac leaders‚ hit back‚ saying the root cause of allegations of “mismanagement and corruption” against his organisation was about the “power of resources”.
“South Africa spends billions [in the HIV/Aids response]. The United States has committed $7billion [R89.8-billion] to SA for the next financial year.
“The Global Fund has put more than $300-billion (R3.8-trillion). So where is this money going to? You have to answer some of the questions because this money is going to the majority of white-led organisations‚” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by People Living With HIV’s the Reverend Mbulelo Dyasi‚ who called for parliament and public protector to investigate the entire sector in the country.
He also called on the AuditorGeneral and Finance Department to “tell us why only four white organisations are funded in SA and yet Aids is black”.
Letsike and Dyasi did not state who the white organisations were.
Sanac‚ which is chaired by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa‚ also dismissed claims of corruption and maladministration in the organisation.
Letsike challenged anyone with evidence of corruption against him to come forward or “stop abusing us”. — TMG