TRANSCIPT

Duration 3 min 50 sec

THANDEKA: Ugqirha Kgosi Letlape uthi intsebenziswano sisitshixo empumelelweni yokulwa ugawulayo. Uthi ngoku amachiza okulwa ugawulayo akhona kwi kliniki entsha ejongenge nokunikezelwa kwezithomalalisi kugawulayo. Echaza lenkqubo yala machiza.

DR. LETLAPE: It’€™s effectively a partnership between the Tshepang Trust which is a partnership between SAMA the NMF and provincial government in order to deliver antiretrovirals to patients. The hospital has drugs, the pharmacy has drugs in order to start treating patients and they will be putting patients on treatment.

THANDEKA: Ndimbuza ukuba ucinga ntoni ngompapasho wokuba urhulumente uzakunikezela izithomalalisi kugawulayo. Uthi linyathelo elincomekayo kuba abantu kudala bephela bengafumani luncedo noko ngoku ithemba likhona. Yaye ngoku intsebenziswano ekuliweni ugawulayo kumanyenwe izakuba luqilima.

DR. LETLAPE: The partnership will go from strength to strength. It is the best Christmas that the government could have given the citizens of this country and we can hold our heads high as the medical profession. We don’€™t have to account for something that we cannot explain now anymore so as we travel internationally, it will become more much easier. But locally it’€™s great news because as we start this treatment programme the cost of drugs will go down. Then Tshepang can concentrate on building partnerships while the government provides the antiretrovirals.

THANDEKA: Uthi la ngamaqalela nazakuvuleleka nakwezinye indawo ekuhambeni kwexesha nalapho kuzokunikezelwa ngezithomalalisi kugawulayo.

DR. LETLAPE: This is the first treatment site. We are planning to have two sites per province where there is HIV money permitting. Tshepang will be there to be a part of the effort to combat HIV/AIDS.

THANDEKA: Uhambisa athi unyeliso lwabaphila nentsholongwane kagawulayo yingxaki edlula ugawulayo ngenkqu kuba isininzi soluntu siyala ukuvela elubala sixolele ukufa kunokuba saziwe ukuba siphila nale ntsholongwane uthi xa bebevelile elubala bebenokufumana uncedo kodwa ke kungenxa yokoyika iintetho nonkunyeliswa. Uthi lomkhuba kufuneka upheliswe khonukuze uluntu lusinde ekuswelekeni ebekunokuthintelwa.

DR: LETLAPE: Well, you know because of stigmatization of HIV/AIDS it’€™s actually a bigger threat than the virus itself. I’€™ve seen many South Africans prepared to die silently rather than come out and receive life-saving treatment because of how they are treated by other human beings. It’€™s like when you come out and you tell people ‘€œI’€™m positive’€ you declare yourself as not human because of the treatment you receive from others.

This affects how people react. And more than their need for medicines, people feel it’€™s better to die as long as people don’€™t know. If we don’€™t break that cycle we’€™re going to find it very difficult to win this battle.

THANDEKA: Uthi Kungentsebenziswano neenzame zoluntu, imibutho elwela ukufunayanwa nokuxatyiswa koluntu oluphila nogawulayo, iinkonzo neminye imibutho nje nethe yangunobangela wokuba namhlanje urhulumente abe uyanikezela ngezithomalalisi kugawulayo.

DR: LETLAPE: You know it would be amiss not to recognize that none of this could have been possible without the effort of the TAC, people living with AIDS and all other people who fought beside them. It’€™s all these things, when society awakens, that we can become human again.

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