Treatment Action Campaign and SECTION27 wish former President Nelson Mandela well.

Madiba was a leader of the people during the liberation. He is a leader who spoke out against HIV denialism. He challenged the stigma related to HIV by putting on an ‘HIV POSITIVE’ t-shirt while visiting an MSF (Doctors without Borders) antiretroviral clinic in Khayelitsha outside Cape Town.

The Treatment Action Campaign  (TAC) and Section27 would like to wish former president Nelson Mandela well.  He has been a pillar of support in our struggle for access to antiretroviral medicines in South Africa. His public support and encouragement has meant a lot to us and more generally to people living with HIV in South Africa.

His work as a freedom fighter and a leader of our nation has contributed to South Africa’s progressive Constitution and Bill of Rights that enables citizens of this country to hold government accountable. Without this progressive Constitution TAC would not have been able to force the state to provide pregnant mothers with antiretroviral treatment to protect their babies from HIV infection.

Madiba’s legacy of peace, humility and perseverance carries us to this day. We wish him a speedy recovery.