Euphraciah Mahenga
25 August 2002
PRESIDENT Mugabe, whose country has been hard hit by the Aids scourge and whose close associates have succumbed to the disease, should undergo an HIV test to help destigmatise the disease, groups and individuals involved in the fight against the pandemic have said.
In separate interviews with The Standard it emerged that most people battling to stop the spread of the killer disease felt that the time had come for Mugabe to put himself forward for a public HIV test in order to convince Zimbabweans that there was nothing sinister in such an act.
Mugabe leads a country whose infection rate ranks second only to Botswana in the world with 25% of the adult population believed to be carrying the deadly virus that causes Aids.
A staunch Catholic, Mugabe did not allow his beliefs to stop him from having two children out of wedlock with his secretary, Grace, while his popular first wife, Sally who was of Ghanaian origin, was battling a nagging renal ailment, a few years ago.
Sally eventually died in 1992, giving Mugabe and Grace the freedom to make official their once illicit affair which was controversially blessed by Patrick Chakaipa, the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic church.
Speaking on the sidelines of a five-day Unifem workshop on human rights, gender and HIV/Aids held in Harare last week, participants said given the magnitude of the problem in the country, the President had to send a bold message to all Zimbabweans about the need to undergo an HIV test as a means of combating the dreaded Aids scourge.
"Our president is quite influential and we know that if he openly visits a New Start Centre for testing and then speaks out against the stigma levelled against those suffering from Aids-related diseases, there will be a remarkable change because the people will then see that there is no harm in visiting such centres.
Ordinary people are saying: 'Why should we go for tests when the leaders are not going themselves," said a participant from Harare.
MDC shadow minister of health, Blessing Chebundo, said Mugabe should lead his ministers and parliamentarians in the long overdue queue for an HIV test which could prompt a behavioural change in a country in which every week an estimated 5 000 people are dying from the disease.
"My own assertion is that in the past years, political leaders did not play a significant role in combating Aids. They did not act with their bodies, and I say it is now time for Mugabe, his cabinet and parliamentarians to act with both body and soul," said Chebundo.
"New Start Centres should use politicians in their advertisements to send a message out to the people like what is happening in Uganda, where the leadership speaks openly about the pandemic," he added.
The Southern Africa Aids Dissemination Service (SAFAids) noted that the urge for Zimbabweans to have themselves tested could be boosted if top political leaders themselves embraced the idea.
"Although we can't say that the first family should go for testing, we feel they should compliment what everyone else is doing," said Tariro Makanga, a media officer with SAFAids.
A participant identified only as Chinyere said: "Our leadership, particularly the presidency, should be in the forefront of the fight against the stigma associated with an HIV test. It's surprising that they are taking a back seat. We would appreciate it if leaders went first. It has happened in South Africa and Uganda, so why can't it occur in Zimbabwe?" However, war veterans leader Joseph Chinotimba insisted that it was not right for Mugabe to go for testing.
"Aids haifoseredzwi kutestwa. Hazviite pamutemo kuti mambo atestwe Aids.
Akabuda ari positive mozoti kudii?" (You can't force anyone to undergo an Aids test. It is not proper for the King to be tested because what would we do if he were found to be HIV positive?) he told The Standard.
He added: "And for what reason kuenda kuNew Start Centre? Vanoenda kutest vanenge vachifamba famba. Iwe naEditor wako makamboenda here? Seni mupositori ndinoenda kunodii?" (It's only the promiscuous who go for Aids tests).
A few years ago, the late vice president Joshua Nkomo set a precedent, which was sadly not embraced by the Zanu PF political leadership, when he declared that his eldest son, Tutani, had died of Aids.
Last year, Frank Guni, the then leader of the Zimbabwe Network for People Living with HIV/Aids, disclosed that six of Mugabe's cabinet ministers were infected with Aids.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2002 Zimbabwe Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
