'Stop hassling Aids activists'
2003-02-25 17:13
Justin Arenstein andJabu Mhlabane
Nelspruit - Public Protector Lawrence Mushwana urged Mpumalanga health MEC Sibongile Manana on Tuesday to abandon her costly legal persecution of local anti-Aids activists and volunteer rape counsellors.
Mushwana drove 300km to Nelspruit to personally tell Manana that her attempts to evict the Greater Nelspruit Rape Intervention Project (Grip) from three provincial hospitals were not in the public interest.
Mushwana's intervention follows Manana's repeated but unsuccessful court applications to have the volunteer group evicted from state hospitals, where they provide rape survivors with 24-hour trauma counselling, free anti-retroviral drugs, clean clothing, and legal advise.
Manana insists that the services undermine government's HIV/Aids policies, and has also publicly accused the group of "poisoning" illiterate rural women by providing them with anti-Aids drugs such as AZT and 3TC.
All previous legal challenges have been dismissed with cost, while Manana's current high court eviction application has been stalled after the court ruled that her legal argument was flawed and that stronger motivations were necessary.
Private matter
"I have studied this issue carefully, and cannot find any strong justification for incurring any further legal costs at taxpayer expense. It would be in everyone's best interests for this matter to be settled amicably out of court," Mushwana said.
"I know that Grip is prepared to talk, to settle, and I therefore advised that the department begin discussions."
Manana refused, however, to comment after the meeting, insisting that the matter was "private" and that Mushwana had simply visited to "pay his respects".
Mushwana's intervention comes amidst a series of crippling scandals that has paralysed Manana's top management.
Her department head, Rina Charles, is scheduled to be interrogated by independent forensic auditors KPMG on Wednesday in connection with a dodgy R25m medical equipment tender.
Blackmarket
Investigators believe that the contract was manipulated to enrich officials, and that at least some of the equipment was subsequently resold on the blackmarket.
A second audit, by PriceCoopersWaterhouse, is also probing how millions of rands meant for the province's HIV/Aids prevention campaign were instead allegedly paid to companies close to Charles and various Mpumalanga Youth Commission associates.
Police and Scorpions task teams are meanwhile uprooting a sophisticated international medicine theft syndicate that allegedly plundered massive quantities of government medicines from state hospitals for resale on the blackmarket in South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland.
Police have so far arrested 46 provincial doctors for alleged involvement in the syndicate, including the brother of foreign affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa and close Manana confidant, Dr Nkate Mamoepa.
Destablising
The string of investigations has rocked Manana's top management, prompting Charles to accuse the hardline MEC of violating financial controls, intimidating staff, and destabilising the department.
Charles wrote to Manana last week accusing her of secretly summonsing senior staff to her private home to "subject [them] to questioning and ask them to reveal information concerning [me]".
"They were intimidated, and threatened with being sent to prison. This conduct is highly irregular."
Manana has declined to comment directly, but her spokesman Dumisane Mlangeni stresses the investigations were ordered directly by Premier Ndaweni Mahlangu and that Manana enjoyed full cabinet support. - African Eye News Service