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One Love campaign urges people to talk about their sexual choices
Today the Treatment Action Campaign added their voices to those calling on President Jacob Zuma to show “leadership and responsibility for himself”.
TAC distanced itself from the clamour against Zuma, saying in its newsletter: “We do not want to impose moral judgements on people, especially on their private matters. Many of the responses to the President’s actions have been hysterical and self-righteous.”
“But the president is not just any person. People look to him to set an example,” TAC stated.
“In a country without a serious HIV epidemic, it might be arguable that his extra-marital affairs are for him and his family alone to resolve. But South Africa has the world’s largest HIV epidemic.
“The President holds the highest office in South Africa and therefore there are high expectations of him, as a leader, as an elder and as a role model.”
“The theme for World AIDS Day 2009 was ‘I am responsible, We are responsible, South Africa is taking responsibility’, TAC recalled.
“The message encourages individuals to reduce their number of sexual partners, for men and women to take responsibility by protect themselves and others, and to encourage consistent and correct condom usage.”
And this is the issue. How does Soul City – which is running creative HIV prevention campaigns – promote a “One Love” campaign when the man holding highest office has three wives and reportedly 20 children born out of wedlock.
“The president’s recent actions undermine all of who are really trying to meet the prevention target of reducing HIV transmission by 50%,” stated TAC.
“The message of responsibility – agreed upon by civil society and government – applies to all of us including our highest leaders.”
Zuma is right when he says South Africa needs to debate its “moral code”.
But he is mistaken if he thinks the criticism against him is in fact an attack on traditional culture.
He said that it was unconstitutional to use one own’s culture to judge others, adding: “Some of the traditions are being rubbished; called names, they’re backward; and we keep quiet.”
Mr President, this is not about what is culturally or morally acceptable. This debate is about what is acceptable presidential conduct in South Africa – a country with the highest numbers of people with HIV in the world.
Protestors standing up for gay rights in Uganda
The bill, submitted last October, proposes the death penalty for some “homosexual acts”, while other acts incur a steep penalties up to life imprisonment.
In an open letter to the Parliament of Uganda, the society’s president Dr Francois Venter, said its 16 000 members were gravely concerned at the 2009 bill.
“Our concern regarding the Anti-Homosexuality Bill stems from the fact that it proposes draconian measures which will further criminalize same-sex relations between consenting adults.
“We are particularly concerned that the Bill proposes the introduction of the death penalty for, inter alia, people living with HIV who engage in same-sex sexual activities.”
“Encouraging openness and combating stigma are widely recognized as key components of Uganda’s successful campaign to reduce HIV infection,” said Venter, warning that the bill threatened to have a “profoundly negative impact on Uganda’s efforts to combat HIV”.
Addressed to the speaker of Parliament and CC’d to President Yowera Kaguta Museveni, the letter called on all MPs “committed to public health and human rights” to stop the bill being passed in any form.
Meanwhile AFP reported today that Ugandan Investment Minister, Aston Kajara, opposed the bill and said the country had enough legislation against homosexuality.
“The government’s position is that the existing provisions in our penal code against homosexuality are strong enough and that this new bill is not necessary,” Kajara told AFP.
But the Ethics Minister James Nsaba Buturo said Kajara was not representing the government. AFP reports that Buturo is “a staunch supporter of the bill”.
The death penalty could be imposed for “aggravated homosexuality” – applicable in cases of rape of a minor by a person of the same sex, or where one partner is HIV positive, AFP stated.
