Mandela praised by UNAids

2005-01-07 14:27

Cape Town - The head of the United Nations' joint programme on HIV and Aids on Friday praised former president Nelson Mandela for publicly acknowledging his son Makgatho died of Aids.

Makgatho died in Johannesburg on Thursday and Mandela made the formal announcement, coupled with a plea for openness on the disease, later in the day.

"Mr Mandela's public acknowledgement that his son... died from an Aids-related illness is a demonstration of the practical leadership that Mr Mandela gives to the international efforts to fight stigma and discrimination," said UNAids executive director Peter Piot in a statement issued from Geneva.

He said Mandela continued to be an icon in the struggle against HIV and Aids through his "unwavering and outspoken" stance on stigma and discrimination towards those living with and affected by the epidemic.

Piot said Mandela was one of the many southern African leaders, including his wife Graca Machel, former home affairs minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi and former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda, who had openly acknowledged the impact of HIV/Aids on their own families.

"The openness of these southern African leaders highlights that HIV/Aids knows no boundaries, and that increasingly all people in this region of the world are being affected by the pandemic."

He said UNAids joined the rest of the world in conveying its deepest sympathies to Mandela and his family.

- SAPA