TAC Uitenhage Branch Holds Vigil for Sick Comrade
17 July 2003
About fifteen members of the TAC Uitenhage branch held a night vigil
which ended at 12pm today for one of their sick comrades. The aim of
the vigil was to highlight the urgent need to make antiretroviral
therapy available in the public health sector. The Uitenhage branch has
written a statement which is reproduced below.
IF WE MUST DIE, WE WILL DIE FIGHTING!
Statement by the TAC Uitenhage Branch
TAC activists picket through the night to demand antiretroviral
treatment for fellow comrade
We are picketing at this hospital through the night to demand that our
comrade be given proper treatment. She's been ill and all indications
show that she needs antiretrovirals. Ntombomzi was admitted yesterday
after getting fits and being confused. A proper diagnosis has not yet
been made, but doctors suspect Cryptococcal Meningitis. While a proper
diagnosis will help for Ntombomzi to be given treatment for the
particular illness she has at the moment, we know that without
antiretrovirals to fight the HIV directly, our comrade will get other
illnesses.
Ntombomzi Ranawe was one of the first people to start a support group
and a TAC branch in Uitenhage. She lies at Uitenhage Provincial
Hospital, which is a state hospital and where antiretroviral treatment
is not available. We are doing this because we want to show to
government that people are dying. While the leaders of our country play
with nice words to delay implementing this treatment programme, we on
the ground are dying.
This cannot continue in silence. From now on, every death that could
possibly have been prevented must be noted. Like the deaths of people
in Sharpeville, like the deaths of those who died during the apartheid
struggle, our deaths must be noted. It must be written down in history
books as a human tragedy, a direct result of the failure of political
will.
We stand here today with hope that our comrade will get well and come
out of hospital. We hope that our government will speedily finalise a
decision to start implementing a treatment programme with
antiretroviral therapy as supported by the joint Health/Treasury task
team study so that she and many others who need this treatment can get
it.
We also hope that the Eastern Cape government will start to lead us in
this province in addressing HIV/AIDS. Recent reports show that our
hospitals in this province are dying in front of the government's eyes
and that our AIDS programmes are not working.
There is a shortage of staff, medical equipment and medicines and
people die unnecessarily. This cannot continue. We ask our Eastern Cape
government, particularly health MEC Dr Goqwana, to act on the
recommendations of these reports and not to force us into Civil
Disobedience. We also demand answers as to what the province's
operation plan is for treating HIV/AIDS.
What we are doing here today will continue until our comrades get
treatment. Next time we will pitch a tent here at the hospital and sit
here a whole week. We refuse to die in silence while politicians delay
decisions that could save lives and give hope. We will fight for our
dignity and our rights!
[END OF STATEMENT AND ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER]