Cape Town

Hallo (that's hello in Afrikaans!). My excitement surfaced as soon as I looked out of the plane window and spotted the distinctive silhouette of Table Mountain during our descent into the “Mother City”. By far, Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! You really have to see it to believe it. Sticking with my California analogies, I would equate it to San Francisco with a touch of London and Amsterdam mixed in for its eclectic, multicultural appeal as an international mecca. Like Northern California, the region features steep cobblestone hills, wineries and scenic coastal routes that rival the best of Lombard Street, Napa Valley and the Pacific Coast Highway. I was fortunate to be in town during the annual Cape Argus Cycle, which is South Africa’s mini-Tour de France. About 30,000 cyclists from around the world participated this year by riding in a 65-mile course that crisscrosses the Cape Peninsula. Perhaps the most impressive of the pack was 13-year-old Mncedisi, of Cape Town. As one of the youngest competitors (the age minimum is 12), he told me that he had biked the entire course! By far, he was the highlight of my visit to the city aside from watching the sun set atop Table Mountain.

FOR WOMEN ONLY….

As soon as I landed in Cape Town, I headed straight for wine country….but there would be no leisurely tastings on this day. The focus of my trip was to visit the offices of the International Partnerships for Microbicides (IPM) in Paarl. The town rests in a sunken valley surrounded by vineyards and jagged mountains, located about 45 minutes outside of Cape Town. It was there that I met Maryam Sadat, a longtime Montgomery County resident who serves as site manager for IPM’s programs. The non-profit agency is involved in the research and development of microbicides, an odorless gel, foam or cream-based product that can be applied to the vaginal area to inhibit the transmission of the HIV virus.

Microbicides have become the latest “buzz” in AIDS research because of their practicality and user-friendly potential for female consumers. But they have also generated controversy. Earlier this year, a trial conducted by Arlington-based CONRAD was halted after several participants contracted the HIV virus during its study. The South African government has also launched an investigation into some of the trials. But Sadat upholds the drug as one that could revolutionize prevention strategies for women.

“This tool that we are using is to empower women,” Sadat explained. “The women here can’t necessarily say [to a man] I want you to use a condom, I want to be monogamous or I don’t want to have sex. So with this… the women are empowered to use it [as protection].”

Babalwa Mgedezi understands the risk. Standing tall in a flowing white dress with immaculate cornrows, she told me that she recently lost her 19-year-old sister to AIDS. The 30-something mother of two is now a recruiter for IPM’s newest trial at the Be Part Centre in Mbekweni, a township where she lives. The study will determine the HIV prevalence rate there among 18-35 year-old women – the first of many steps required prior to launching a full-scale clinical trial.

“Every one of us in the community may not be infected, but it affects all of us because each of us may have lost a family member, a friend or a neighbor,” said Mgedezi, who noted that she has perceived a significant rise in HIV infections among teenagers in her community. “I will give advice to young women out there for them to abstain, to be faithful and to use condoms because HIV is out there and it is not a joke.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHT….

Following my visit to Paarl, it was on to Wallacedene, a shanty town situated on the fringes of Cape Town’s northern suburbs. It more or less resembled a squatter camp with rows of makeshift, corrugated iron shacks densely packed onto blocks of flat, sandy land. Gloria Ngzukana’s two-room home sits across from a vacant lot that has been turned into a dumping ground. Complaints to have it removed have piled up in the same manner that the trash mounts.

Standing in Gloria’s yard, there was no escape from the sun’s penetrating rays of inferno. The charcoal fire that she lit beneath a large iron kettle pot made it feel hotter than an oven as dozens of little eyes stared anxiously at the preparations. She and several other women were cooking rice and vegetables for more than twenty children in the neighborhood.

Most of them come from poverty stricken homes. At least ten of the children are AIDS orphans. They range in age from 4-12 years old. Gloria feeds them at least three times a week. For some, it may be the only meal that they receive on that day. The program is funded by the Ithemba Foundation, a grassroots organization based in Washington.

“They come to us to get something to eat, then after that they do activities [like traditional dancing],” she explained. “When their parents are coming back [from work], they know their kids are somewhere. This is a way of calling them not to be on the streets.”

In spite of the meager portions, the kids smile and wave goodbye as I leave. Tummies now full… I think to myself that I should have brought a tub of ice cream for dessert. A small gesture for a great need that deserved a cool, sweet indulgence on a stifling summer day.