The audio is in isiZulu. See english summary below.

MABUTHO: Ongumxhumanisi wophiko lwenhlangano yezizwe olubhekene nezindaba zababaleki emazweni asemazansi nezwekazi laseAfrica, uLaurie Campbell Bruns, uthi ukufakwa ezinhlelweni zokunikezelwa ngamakhambi okulwisana negciwane lesandulelangculaza kwababaleki angeke kube nomthelela ekwenyukeni kwesibalo sababaleki emazweni ahlwempu ababalekela kuleli laseNingizimu Africa ngenhloso yokuthola lamakhambi. Ethula inkulumo yakhe ngesikhathi kuthulwa ibhuku elilawula ukunikezelwa kwamakhambi alwisana negciwane lesandulelangculaza kwisifunda esisemazansi nezwekazi laseAfrica nolubhalwe ngokuhlanganyela yi UNHCR kanye ne Southern African HIV Clinicians’€™ Society oka Bruns uthi iningi lababaleki likuleli ngenxa yezinkinga ezibhekene namazwe abo okuyothi uma seziphelile bese bebuyela emuva. Uthi akekho umbaleki ongasuka ezweni lakhe aye kwelinye izwe ngenhloso yokuthola amakhambi okulwisana negciwane lesandulelangculaza, ngoba iningi labo lilindele ukubuyela emakhaya.

LAURIE CAMPBELL BRUNS: Refugees tend to stick in one place. They are waiting to go home.They are not coming to move largely. They are just in safety and waiting to go home. When they have access to treatment they realize the importance in their lives.They tend to stay put.

MABUTHO: Oka Bruns uthi izinkulumo zokuthi ukunikezelwa kwamakhambi alwisana negciwane lesandulelangculaza kuzoholela ekuthuthulekeni kwabantu kuleli akuyona into engaze ifakelwe izibuko ngoba ayinabo ubuqiniso. Uthi into engaze ifakelwe izibuko udaba lokubhekelela isimo sababaleki abaqhamuka amazweni angakabi nazi izinhleo zokunikezelwa kwamakhambi athiba lokhu kufa ukuthi kungenziwa njani ukubasiza. Uthi kodwa asikho isidingo sokuthi benqatshelwe ngoba kusolwa ukuthi bazoba nenkinga uma bebuyela emazweni abo ngenxa yokuthi awakabi nazo izinhlelo zokunikezela amakhambi okuthiba lesisifo ngoba kungenzeka eminyakeni embalwa ezayo amazwe abo ebe esenazo lezinhlelo.

LAURIE CAMPBELL BRUNS: It’€™s not an issue. There are some other issues such as the continuity of treatment. There are some countries of origin that do not have treatment. What about in five to ten years when you decide to go home? But we cannot ethically or otherwise deny treatment on the premise that there is no treatment now, but we don’€™t know in the future.

MABUTHO: Khonamanjalo izinhlangano zababaleki zisishayele ihlombe isinyathelo sokukhishwa kwalelibhuku elineminingwane elawula ukufakwa ezinhlelweni zokunikezelwa kwamakhambi alwisana negciwane lesandulelangculaza kwababaleki. Okhulumela enye yalezinhlangano zababaleki kuleli iJesuit Refugee Service, uMn Blaise Nzuzi naye ongumbaleki odabuka kwelaseDemocratic Republic of Congo uthi nakuba besishayela ihlombe isinyathelo sokukhishwa kwalomsuqulu kodwa kusekuningi okusamele kwenziwe ukufundisa abasebenzi bezempilo bakuleli ngamalungelo ababaleki. Uphinde wazichitha izinsolo zokuthi ukufakwa ezinhlelweni zokulwisana negciwane lesandulelangculaza kwababaleki kuleli kuzoholela ekuthuthelekeni kwenqwaba yababaleki kuleli.

BLAISE NZUZI: Really, I don’€™t think so because even refugees who have been living here for years, when you talk to them, home is still home. There is no one who is thinking of going somewhere and not think about going back. And also, if it was not for political instabilities in some countries I don’€™t see refugees coming to South Africa because integration in a foreign land is very difficult. One would rather be at home as we always say home sweet home.

MABUTHO: Ngakolunye uhlangothi USox Chikohweru wenhlangano yababaleki base Zimbabwe abakuleli iZimbabwe Torture Victims Project, nakuba naye ekwamukela ukwethulwa kwalelibhuku kepha ukhala esifanayo ngokucwaswa kwababaleki ngabasebenzi bezempilo kuleli.

SOX CHIKOHWERU: We’€™re faced by these challenges whereby the staff at these hospitals are telling us ‘€˜we want the South African ID’€™. But that person (the patient) is sick. He is not a South African.But they say ‘€˜we want a South African ID’€™.

MABUTHO: Uthi kuke kwanesikhathi lapho inhlangano yakhe ihambise umuntu obephila negciwane lesandulelangculaza kwesinye sezibhedlela zakuleli kudingakala ukuthi afakwe ezinhlelweni zokuthola amakhambi okulwisana nalesisifo, kepha abasebenzi bezempilo baqala ngokubashonisa le nale ngaphambi kokuba baze bagcine sebemnikezile usizo lwezempilo kodwa nokho okungabange kusasiza ngoba isikhathi besesihambe kakhulu wagcina ngokuphangalala.

SOX CHIKOHWERU: That person was admitted in the hospital after a long fight then they admitted her and was later transferred to another hospital. But you can imagine how much fight we put to them to understand that this person is a foreigner, but this person is sick.

MABUTHO:  Losomqulu owaziwa ngele 2007 Guidelines on Antiretroviral Therapy Management for Displaced Populations uqukethe imigomo okumele ilandelwe ngabasebenzi bezempilo ukufaka ababaleki abaphila negciwane lesandulelangculaza ezinhlelweni zokunikezela ngamakhambi okulwisana nalesisifo. Balinganiselwa emakhulwini amathathu ezinkulungwane ababaleki abagcwele kulona lonke leli elisemazansi nezwekazi laseAfrica, kanti iningi labo litholakala ezweni laseZambia kanye nakuleli. Ngokusho kombiko wophiko olubhekele izindaba zababaleki enhlanganweni yezizwe, UNHCR, iningi labo livela emazweni lapho igciwane lesandulelangculaza lingandile kangako kanjalo nalapho izinhlelo eziphathelene nokunikezelwa kwamakhambi  zingakasabalalali njengakuleli kanye nakwamanye amazwe asethuthukile emhlabeni. Nakuba zingekho izibalo ezibambekayo kodwa wonke amazwe asemazansi nezwekazi abhekene nezinselelo zababaleki abangena ngaphakathi okanye abashiya amazwe abo bafudukele kwamanye.

ENGLISH SUMMARY

No refugee comes to SA for ART – UNHCR

The senior regional HIV/AIDS coordinator for the United Nations’€™ High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), says the inclusion of refugees in South Africa’€™s antiretroviral therapy programme will not result in the influx of refugees into the country.

Laurie Campbell-Bruns, was speaking during the launch of the ‘€˜2007 Clinical Guidelines on Antiretroviral Therapy Management for Displaced Populations’€™ in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The guide comes amid fears that because of its growing antiretroviral programme, South Africa could attract a huge number of people from countries with poor health systems who can’€™t access AIDS treatment.    

‘€œRefugees tend to stick in one place. They are waiting to go home. They are not coming to move largely. They are just in safety and waiting to go home. When they have access to treatment they realize the importance in their lives. They tend to stay put,’€ she said, adding that ‘€œIt’€™s not an issue (the influx of refugee); there are some other issues such as the continuity of treatment. There are some countries of origin that do not have treatment, what about in five to ten years when you decide to go home. But we cannot ethically or otherwise deny treatment on the premise that there is no treatment now, but we don’€™t know in the future,’€ Bruns said.

Meanwhile, refugee organizations have welcomed the publication. Blaise Nzuzi, a DRC refugee himself and project officer of the Jesuit Refugee Service, says although he does welcome the launch of the publication, he thinks there is still more that needs to be done to educate health workers about the rights of refugees as far access to treatment is concerned.  

Nzuzi also denied as unfounded the concern that the inclusion of displaced populations in South Africa’€™s antiretroviral therapy programme will result in the influx of people from countries with no treatment policy to countries where they can have access.

‘€œReally, I don’€™t think so because even refugees who have been living here for years, when you talk to them, home is still home. There is no one who is not thinking about going back. And also, if it was not for political instabilities in some country I don’€™t see refugees coming to South Africa (just because of ART) because integration in foreign land is very difficult. One would rather be at home as we always say home sweet home,’€ Nzuzi added.

Sox Chikohweru, of the Braamfontein-based, Zimbabwe Torture Victims, said he also welcomes the publication, but warned that there is still more that needs to be done to educate health workers about the rights of refugees.

‘€œWe are faced by these challenges whereby the staffs at these hospitals are telling us ‘€˜we want the South African ID’€™ but that person (the patient) is sick. He is not a South African, but they say ‘€˜we want a South African ID’€™.’€

The publication, the product of collaboration between UNHCR and the Southern Africa HIV Clinicians Society lists guidelines for health workers to follow when dealing with displaced populations who need antiretroviral therapy. Southern Africa is host to approximately 300 000 refugees and asylum seekers, the majority of whom are hosted in South Africa and Zambia.