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AIDS acrimony must end - Deputy President

South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has appealed for a "new spirit" between government and nongovernmental organisations in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Mlambo-Ngcuka told a conference of the Congress of South African Trade Unions that acrimony over AIDS policy must end in a country where one out of nine people were estimated to be living with the HI virus.

"When we fail to work together as partners, the disease wins ... our collective response has for too long been undermined by finger-pointing and despair. I appeal to you that we change that," she said.

The deputy president recently became the new point person on AIDS in President Thabo Mbeki's cabinet, after persistent calls by activists for the dismissal of health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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