De Lille in HIV legal battle

2003-05-30 08:00

Antoinette Pienaar

Pretoria - Three HIV-positive women from Pretoria are suing politician Patricia de Lille, Charlene Smith, a freelance journalist, and New Africa Books for damages because their names were mentioned in a book about De Lille's life.

One of the woman was allegedly assaulted and threatened with death when her husband learnt about her HIV status when the book was published in March last year.

The mother of one of the other women has apparently rejected her daughter, who now lives in fear that her fiancée will find out that she is HIV-positive.

This is the second time the women have instituted legal action.

A previous case was withdrawn before it reached court, after Smith had argued that two of the women had unlawfully neglected to tell their partners of their HIV status, and that the women had been seen at a state HIV clinic.

Liesl Gerntholtz of the Aids Law Project in Johannesburg confirmed on Wednesday that legal action is being taken against De Lille, Smith and the publisher.

The three women said they revealed their HIV status to De Lille after they took part in controversial clinical tests for a new Aids drug.

At the time, De Lille complained to the Human Rights Commission, the Medicines Control Council and the University of Pretoria because of the severe side effects the women experienced after taking the trial medicine.

De Lille said on Thursday the University of Pretoria disclosed the names of the women in a report long before the book was published.

"Maybe the university should be sued. I am an Aids activist and would never deliberately disclose someone's HIV status."

The plaintiffs allege their rights to privacy, dignity, psychological integrity and intellectual and spiritual well-being have been violated.

They are demanding R200 000, a private apology and that the paragraphs with their names in it be removed from copies of the biography that have not yet been sold.

- Beeld