About tac

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) was founded in December 1998 to campaign for access to AIDS treatment. It is widely acknowledged as one of the most important civil society organisations active on AIDS in the developing world.

One of its most significant victories was the 2002 Constitutional Court ruling in which the South African government was ordered to provide antiretroviral medicines to prevent transmission of HIV from mothers to their babies during birth. In the years following the judgment the TAC’s campaigns were instrumental in securing a universal government-provided AIDS treatment programme, which has since become the world’s largest. In 2006 the New York Times called the TAC “the world’s most effective AIDS group,”[1] while the founding director of UNAIDS, Dr Peter Piot, has written that “TAC was in my opinion the smartest activist group of all, worldwide.”

Today, TAC continues to represent users of the public healthcare system in South Africa, and to campaign and litigate on critical issues related to the quality of and access to healthcare. The organisation currently has over 8,000 members and a network of 250 branches in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces.

Members elect the leadership of the organisation, which ensures accountability and that the TAC’s policies reflect the realities on the ground. Members are supported with the knowledge, skills, and resources to implement community-led monitoring and local campaigns, and understand the latest in science, treatment literacy, health policies, relevant laws, and the overall state of the HIV and TB response and broader healthcare system. Through our branches and members, TAC monitors hundreds of clinics and hospitals. Our members are the people who need the public health system to work, so they are the first to notice when it doesn’t. In addition to the large national campaigns, the local activism of TAC members is the true life-blood of the organisation. By organising locally, our members demand accountability and quality healthcare services where the services are actually delivered.

Vision 

TAC’s vision is to achieve a unified healthcare system that provides equal access to quality and dignified healthcare services for all, including people living with HIV and TB.

Mission

TAC engages in monitoring, advocacy and campaigning within the healthcare system to ensure that all public healthcare users can access quality and dignified healthcare – and all people with HIV and TB can access prevention, treatment, care and support services. 

Strategic Objectives

• The Company’s principal object is the carrying on of one or more PBAs related to welfare and humanitarian and health care as provided for in paragraphs 1(j), 2(c), 2(d) and 2(f) of Part I and Part II of the Ninth Schedule to the Income Tax Act, primarily within the Republic of South Africa, in a non-profit manner and with altruistic or philanthropic intent, including the specific activities outlined below: 
  • To advocate for the implementation of an effective and comprehensive HIV and TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and support programme; 
  • To provide evidence-based prevention and treatment awareness and literacy for TAC members and members of the public, at public healthcare facilities, and for partner organisations;
  • To advocate for the rights of women and communities, affected by gender-based violence, to access appropriate resources for health care and the prevention of HIV and TB;
  • advocate for effective evidence-based HIV and health policies and an enabling policy environment;
  • To build a broad-based alliance in support of a unified quality health care system;
  • To hold national, provincial and local government accountable in instances where they fail to provide or provide inadequate treatment and prevention programmes, policies, awareness and quality health care;
  • To pursue litigation, other forms of legal action and rights-based advocacy for the advancement of the Company’s principal object;
  • To develop TAC’s institutional and financial capability and capacity;
  • To negotiate with the Department of Health on provision services (patient education, treatment literacy, support to adherence clubs) in state facilities that benefit public health care users including people living with HIV and TB 
  • To receive donations from other organisations and non-governmental agencies subject to the provisions of the MOI and the constitution; 
  • To conduct such fundraising activities from time to time as the Board deems appropriate including the selling of goods or services for purposes of raising funds to further advance any one or more of its objects stated in the MOI; and 
  • To make donations from time to time to any one or more of the entities listed in articles 1 – 4 below, provided reasonable steps are taken to ensure that the funds are utilised for the purposes for which it was provided as determined by the board, in accordance with the provisions of section 18A and section 30 of the Income Tax Act: 
    • any public benefit organisation which has been approved in terms of section 30 of the Income Tax Act 
    • any institution, board or body which is exempt from tax under the provisions of section 10(1)(c)(A)(i) of the Income Tax Act, which has as its sole or principal object the carrying on of any public benefit activity; 
    • any institution of persons carrying on one or more public benefit activity as contemplated in section 30(1) of the Income Tax Act; 
    • any other organisation as may be determined by the board from time to time.
• The Company must carry out its PBA’s in a non-profit manner and with an altruistic or philanthropic intent. The Company may for this purpose, employ any person and other employees and/or lease premises from time to time necessary for it to operate. 
• The PBA’s must be carried out by the Company for the benefit of or must be widely accessible to the general public at large, including any sector thereof. 
• TAC will remain independent from the influence of government and the pharmaceutical industry and any other public or private institutions.