The ANC had lashed out at comments by Democratic Allicance leader Tony Leon who claims that the Western Cape was likely to "turn into a replica of the other provinces that pandered to President Thabo Mbeki's bizarre views on AIDS". "This statement is nothing more than political chicanery and a desperate attempt by Tony Leon to muster support for a misguided political strategy to win the hearts and minds of the Western Cape populace," is the response from the ANC's health committee. ANC National Health Secretary Dr Saadiq Kariem believes that it will be irresponsible to remove the funding from MTCT sites that are already up and running.