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"Wena Wenzani" - "What are you doing in the fight against AIDS?"

Some of the dignitaries present at the Aids Awareness day with Minister LBG Ndabandaba

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education through its Directorate of Psychological Guidance and Special Education Services (PGSES) had an Aids Awareness Day at Ulundi recently.

The celebration formed part of the National School Aids Month which was celebrated in September and October. In KwaZulu-Natal two Provincial events were held, the first one took place in Pietermartizburg and was later followed bv another in Ulundi. The overall theme of these entertaining events was "Wena Wenzani, meaning "What are you doing in the fight against AIDS?". The Ulundi function attracted a number of people, including senior officials of the Department, members of Provincial Parliament, Amakhosi, Business and Community leaders, parents, educators and learners. It was addressed by the Minister of Education and Culture, Professor LBG Ndabandaba. It featured many top South African musicians, who included Johannesburg-based Mdu Masilela.

In his address, Professor Ndabandaba, said HIV/AIDS was one of the most deadly enemies that humanity ever faced, and it wreaked havoc among our people and it has mowed down the young and the old.

This killer was responsible for depleting families, leaving behind orphans, widows, and widowers, and generally caused levels of sadness never before witnessed in our communities. "This HIV/AIDS is a scourge that threatens to exterminate the whole nation".

The Minister went on: HIV/Aids has presented challenges that we as the Department of Education have to deal with on a daily basis. We are a huge organisation with 2,7 million learners, 77 000 educators, about 6 000 school. "We as a Department have placed the war against HIV/AIDS at the top of our priorities. It is at the top because without healthy learners and eduators there will be no Department. By gathering in this fashion today, we are proclaiming a resounding "No" to this epidemic".

Giving Statistics, he said an estimated 14 000 people become HIV-infected every day across the globe. Of the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS, nearly 2,7 million were children under the age of 15 and 11.8 million are young people aged between 15 and 24 years. It was estimated that in South Africa half of today’s 15 year-olds would die of Aids-related diseases. "It is against this background that we as the Department publicly declare our resolution to the eradication of HIV/AIDS. We recommit ourselves to:

• giving the youth all the information they need about HIV/AIDS and how it is transmitted and how to avoid infection.
• assisting the youth to develop skills and attitudes that will help them deal effectively with challenges that may make them vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

"We consequently place emphasis on using life-skills education as effective safeguard against infection. Life skills education gives learners the knowledge and the capacity to deal with life threatening situations such a drug abuse, alcohol abuse, peer pressure, HIV/AIDS and so forth."

The Minister who voiced his support for virginity testing if it was making a contribution in the fight against HIV/AIDS, also revealed the Department’s plan, aimed at identifying all orphans and other vulnerable learners and then developing appropriate intervention strategies based on their identified needs as well as levels of support required. This would require co-operating with other stakeholders such as the Departments of Social Welfare, Health, Home Affairs, Justice and Security and the like.

The Chief Executive Officer, (CEO), Professor CRM Dlamini, who quoted a scripture from 2 Chronicles 7:14 ("If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land"), said he believed that only a strategy from God the Almighty will provide a solution to the HIV/AIDS scourge.

In his speech, the Deputy Director-General, Dr SZ Mbokazi, spoke about the adverse effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which results in many teachers being absent from work and how the sickness affects many family members. He urged every member of the community present to play a meaningful role in the fight against this killer disease.

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