SA HIV/AIDS position 'tragic' - US legislator

The South African government's position on HIV/AIDS was described as "tragic" by a key United States legislator on Monday. Speaking during a tour of USAID projects in the Cape Town area, Congressman Jim Kolbe, chair of the appropriations subcomittee with oversight over foreign operations, reportedly said USAID was currently injecting some US $54 million into South Africa. A Sapa report quoted him as saying: "Itis tragic that we have such a lack of leadership on the part of central government to deal with this problem, but we are getting services to where it is needed." United States Health Secretary Tommy Thompson had last week pledged to support South Africa's fight against HIV/AIDS, despite differences with the government over the best way to combat the epidemic. The US Health Secretary's visit to three Southern African countries last week was part of an effort to strengthen partnerships and continue dialogue on strategies to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. "There are going to be some differences ... but the positives of our partnership are so much more than the few things that we disagree (on)," he told reporters after talks with South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. Thompson also announced the appointment of the first US health attache for Africa, Gary Handley. Before leaving for Botswana, he signed a cooperative agreement with South Africa that will provide nearly US $1 million from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fight HIV/AIDS in a public-private partnership in the country. The CDC's agreement with the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity will build the capacity of South African trade unions to develop and implement effective HIV/AIDS prevention education programmes. Thompson on Friday performed a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the expanded Tebelopele Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre in Gaborone, Botswana. Fighting HIV/AIDS was like fighting a war against terrorism, he said. "As much as you are our ally in fighting terrorism we are your ally in the fight against HIV/AIDS," a local newspaper quoted him as saying. Earlier in the week, Mozambique and the US embarked on a US $30 million programme to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis over the next five years.