Chippa Legodimo
13 March 2008
While many believe that the best way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS is through the use of a condom some are adamant that abstinence is a possibility and a sure way of locking out the deadly virus from one's body.
Officially opening the Kanye Police HIV/AIDS workshop at Motse Lodge yesterday, Bashi Silabo said that he was appalled at the way society is concentrating more on condom use than on other methods of prevention.
"We have the ABC - abstain, be faithful and condomise - strategy but we tend to over emphasise on the 'C' aspect. We need to spend as much resources on the other aspects the same way we do with the C or even more. Let's invest in abstinence the same way we have been investing in condoms," Selabo told the officers.
"Condomising is not our salvation in this country. We have tried it over the years and it has proved that it does very little to save us. Abstinence is possible because man is created in the image of God, and we have been created in such a way that we can control our feelings, unlike animals," Silabo said.
He insisted that the war should be fought on all the fronts with all the effective mechanisms instead of people choosing what weapons they "like" using.
Silabo said that he did not buy the argument that times have changed and that it is impossible for people to refrain from sex until they are married giving examples of historical icons like Mahatma Ghandi, the Indian freedom fighter, as well as scientist, Isaac Newton, who discovered the force of gravity.
"If Ghandi and Newton could do it, then we can also do it. Both decided at one point in their lives that they would remain celibate for whatever reasons. I know some people will claim that this is a call of nature and that we cannot antagonise nature. But I can tell you that when God gave Eve to Adam, he wanted one man to one woman for life. He did not give him Sarah or Grace. There are certain human inventions that we have to abandon and stick to God's way," he said.
He said that people should appreciate the emotional aspect of sex and that sleeping with several partners did not bring any emotional attachment.
"By God's help, we will win this battle but let us not use only those methods that we like, but the most effective, which in this case is abstinence because there is a zero percent chance if you abstain unlike a condom which is certain percentages safe from hundred," he said.
Another speaker, Motlhware Sentle, also emphasised the need to go back to the drawing board. He said that it was important for young people especially to respect both themselves and their parents if they wished to conquer the disease.
Sentle said that in the past, young people were scared to be seen with their partners in public because they respected their parents. They waited until the right time before they engaged in sex.
"The fearlessness in our young people makes them feel they are free to do anything and at times that includes putting their lives in danger of contracting HIV. The reason I have grown to 85 years is because I have always respected my parents and I went on to respect my wife after I got married," the elderly Sentle, who looks much younger, said.
He said it was unfortunate that parents inherited from their children while in the past it was the other way round.
"We are not happy to be left with your money and other things because you are supposed to grow and leave it for your children when you die," he said.
He advised the officers that there is a lot they could learn from the elders if they are to survive the challenges facing them. He called on young people to desist from associating with people who lacked principles as that can only lead to undesirable consequences.
Illustrating the objectives of the day, Constable Mavis Kgosimore, said through such workshops the police service was hoping to change people's mind sets about HIV/AIDS. Kgosimore noted that it was important for fellow officers to speak openly and freely about AIDS.
"We hope that after this workshop, officers will feel encouraged to test voluntarily and those who have tested will be able to accept their status freely. For those of us who might have already tested positive, hopefully we will pluck up the courage to start using the various programmes on offer like the ARV therapy as well as the PMTCT," she said.
Kgosimore decried the fact that often people who were not open about their HIV status find themselves unable to freely take their daily ARV drugs and consequently fell sick.
"For instance, if I am on an away trip driving the station commander who does not know that I am taking ARV, I could end up missing the stipulated time because I am afraid to take them in his presence," she said.
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