Mbeki pointed out to Cabinet that, although there were claims that there was no scientific evidence that the anti-retroviral drugs prevented HIV infection, they were already being used for needlestick injuries so why could they not also be used to prevent rape survivors from being infected, according to the source.

“The President said that, as anti-retroviral drugs are already in use in the public sector, why should they not also be used to prevent rape survivors from being infected. There could be no logical answer to this,” said the source.

This is a radical departure from Mbeki’s previous criticism of anti-retroviral drugs for being toxic, and an indication that government is finally prepared to seriously consider the drugs as part of its HIV/AIDS campaign.

Ironically, said the source, former president Nelson Mandela’s outspoken public stance on HIV/AIDS almost scuttled Cabinet’s new direction to the pandemic, as it caused ANC leaders loyal to President Thabo Mbeki to become defensive.

This explains why the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which met shortly after Mandela publicly demanded that government give anti-retroviral drugs to all those with HIV, took a far more cautious and defensive approach to HIV/AIDS than Cabinet.

The ANC NEC resolved that rape survivors and health workers who get needlestick injuries should not get anti-retroviral drugs as the efficacy of the drugs was “unproven”.

However, Cabinet swept the NEC’s caution aside and resolved that rape survivors should be offered the drugs – although the Department of Health had recommended further research on the matter before any decision was made.  

Cabinet’s decision last week was the result of a long process that began at its lekgotla in January, at which Ministers expressed dissatisfaction with government’s HIV/AIDS campaign.

Ministers Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, Essop Pahad and Ben Ngubane were mandated to work on a Cabinet memorandum and they then drew in key health department officials Ayanda Ntsaluba and Nono Simelela.  

At the same time, the Government Communication and Information System headed by Joel Netshithenzhe started to develop a new communication strategy.  

The Cabinet memorandum was distributed to various sub-committees before finally reaching Cabinet on Wednesday.  

In the interim, it became clear to government that it had lost the moral high ground on HIV/AIDS and it needed to do something radical to regain this or risk becoming even more alienated from its   constituency.