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Opposition parties on Friday said President Thabo Mbeki's state of the nation address had not adequately addressed the problem of HIV/AIDS in the country, the South African Press Agency (SAPA) reported.
Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said Mbeki's speech lacked a "sense of urgency" on these matters. It seemed to be more a case of "business as usual".
"The HIV/AIDS issue needed much more attention, as South Africa's battlefield is in the wards of hospitals and not on the streets of Baghdad," Leon said, alluding to a possible war between the US and Iraq.
Meanwhile, Inkatha Freedom Party leader, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, said while he did not want to sit in judgement on Mbeki's speech, he felt that more emphasis needed to be put on the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
"This disease is really devastating us, and with such a raging pandemic what was needed was for it to be addressed specifically," Buthelezi said.
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