THE TURNING POINT....

Many AIDS activists will tell you that the South African government’s approach to HIV/AIDS has seemed like a roller coaster ride of denial and misinformation that has resulted in the deaths of more than one million South Africans. The government will say that its policies are sound and among the most comprehensive in the world with nearly a quarter of a million people currently on ARV treatment. But no matter which side you believe or support, it was quite an awe-inspiring phenomenon to witness the two entities united for an unprecedented conference on an HIV/AIDS national strategic plan (NSP).

“This strategy must work, “Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka declared during the opening ceremony. “Our actions will need to be measurable. We want to build on the successes of the past but we also want to learn from our failures.”

Several hundred people gathered for the two-day conference to comment on the new draft that encompasses bold benchmarks. They include halving the rate of new HIV infections and expanding treatment to 80 percent of those living with HIV by 2011.

“What you are seeing now… is the end of denial about HIV in this country and a very belated but not too late commitment to addressing the epidemic,” explained AIDS Law Project Director Mark Heywood, who helped draft the plan. The organization has been involved in several legal battles with the government over the years to advocate for greater access to drug treatment.

“Our primary interest has always been getting the right response to the epidemic right but our handshakes are only going to last as long as the government and other parties decide to do the right thing,” he said.

Most stakeholders agree that the "right thing" is to implement greater oversight of the $2 billion plan to ensure that it is effectively carried out over the next five years. While the plan is still pending review, the policy shift is being hailed as a major victory by government and civil society sectors.

“It took the government a long time [15 years] to realize that we are not fighting against them," said Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) spokesperson Linda Mafu. "We don’t have to have to have a community where there are 900 deaths per day or new infections."

“It has been a long walk to freedom, I must say," she exclaimed.