Opening remarks by the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and Chairperson of the South African National Aids Council, Mr Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile, to the extended SANAC Plenary

The SANAC Civil Society Chairperson, Ms. Steve Letsike;
The Hon. Premiers in their capacities as Provincial AIDS Council Chairs;
Minister of Health, Dr. Joe Phaahla, and all SANAC IMC members;
The Provincial Leaders of Civil Society in their capacities as Co-Chairs of the Provincial Councils on AIDS;
The SANAC Private Sector Forum Chairperson Ms. Mpumi Zikalala;
SANAC CEO, Dr. Thembisile Xulu;
MECs present;
Development Partners;
Esteemed Plenary members;
Media friends,

Good morning!

It gives me great pleasure to warmly greet you all on behalf of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) at this Extended Plenary.

It is an honour to have the opportunity to address such a distinguished and esteemed audience, comprising of individuals who are deeply committed to the cause of combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic in our beloved nation.

Over the past two weeks, I've had the pleasure of interacting with some communities and other key stakeholders on issues related to gender-based violence and femicide and associated ills such as HIV/AIDS and mental health, among others.

On the 19 November 2023, as led by Parliament, we held a successful National Men’s Parliament and Launch of the Takuwani Riime Programme of Action 2023 -2025 in Limpopo, where we had the opportunity to engage with Traditional Authorities and community members as key stakeholders in our fight against gender-based violence and femicide. I do not need to tell you colleagues about the relationship between gender-based violence and femicide as well as HIV, and I believe you share the same sentiments with me that we must continue to strengthen our efforts in these areas.

We are three days into the 16 Days of activism against GBV campaign, which was launched on Saturday under the theme "Accelerating actions to end Gender-Based Violence and Femicide: leaving no one behind". The campaign is among other things, aimed at -

●      Highlighting Gender-Based Violence as a pervasive human rights violation;
●      Intensifying awareness raising and advocacy; and
●      Championing the prevention efforts to eliminate the scourge by implementing social behaviour change initiatives.

We must continue to mainstream gender-based violence and femicide issues in the work that we do across sectors. To end this pandemic in our country, we need all hands on deck to educate our communities, stand together and fight this scourge wherever it shows itself. We can change the narrative, but we will only do so if we work together!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I believe that all of you are mindful that this plenary is taking place exactly three days before the official observance of World AIDS Day on December 1.

World AIDS Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the country's progress towards eliminating HIV as a public health threat, as well as ending TB by the year 2030.

Regrettably, it also provides us with a chance to commemorate the lives lost as a result of conditions related to AIDS.

This year's official commemoration will be held in KwaZulu-Natal, Ilembe District under the theme "Let Communities Lead".

This theme serves as a compelling invitation to allocate resources towards community-led interventions and approaches that prioritise the needs and perspectives of the community.

Therefore, the primary emphasis of this year's commemoration will be on the launching of the multi-sectoral Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children by 2030, spearheaded by SANAC.

As it stands, more work still needs to be done to reach the 95-95-95 targets, especially in children at 82-67-67. It is our responsibility as SANAC to ensure that the estimated 36 544 children who still have unknown HIV status are diagnosed and treated.

We hope that, through the work of the Global Alliance, we will indeed end AIDS in children.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As part of our continued efforts to strengthen the SANAC Trust, which is the administrative body of this Council, we are replacing the two vacant posts on the Board. The process is at an advanced stage, and we will announce two new Trustees soon.

The issue of SANAC Trust funding and sustainability continues to be a top priority in my office; in pursuit of this, we have arranged a series of engagements with relevant structures, the most important of which being a meeting with the Minister of Finance.

The Trust remains one of the most critical structures charged with multi-sector coordination of the country's response to HIV, TB and STIs.

Considering the magnitude of our TB and HIV burden, we cannot afford to compromise the work of the Trust. We will do everything in our power to ensure it remains stable to effectively execute its mandate.

As stated by Minister Phaahla during one of our meetings, "SANAC is the conduit through which external funding for the epidemics is channeled – these include the Global Fund and PEPFAR among others. Should the Trust close shop, these donors may lose confidence from investing in South Africa".

The existence of SANAC is also in line with the UNAIDS "Three Ones", which call for One Coordination Structure, One National Strategic Plan and One M&E Framework. If we are serious about ending AIDS in 2030, we must protect the SANAC Trust at all costs.

Shortly after the last Extended Plenary 2023 on World TB Day, we launched the new National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STI: 2023 – 2028. We need to ensure that it is implemented successfully for us to tell a good story come 2030.

As the SANAC Council we should continue to provide leadership and monitor the impact of our programmes and interventions against the three epidemics.

At the March Plenary, we also resolved that all SANAC governance structures from government, civil society and the private sector would recommit and revitalise their structures.

In my capacity as the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, and thus a leader of the government's contribution to the response, I wish to confirm our resolute commitment that all SANAC IMC Ministers and Deputy ministers will retain their positions within the various SANAC governance structures for as long as they remain in their positions within government.

We call upon the other two arms of SANAC, namely the Civil Society Forum and the Private Sector Forum to reaffirm their commitments as well.

On that note, may we have a fruitful meeting.

I thank you.