The audio is in isiZulu. See the English summary below.

MABUTHO: Ngokombiko okhishwe iphephabhuku lezempilo, iThe Lancet, kumbiko walo osihloko sithi Countdown 2015, iNingizimu Africa ayigcini nje ngokuba ngelinye lamazwe angu 68 asalele emuva ekunciphiseni isibalo somama abafa bebeletha kanye nabantwana abangaphansi kweminyaka emihlanu abafayo. INingizimu Africa iphinde ibe sohlwini lwamazwe alishumi asalele emuva kakhulu kulokhu. Kuzokhumbuleka ukuthi ngonyaka ka 2000 iNingizimu Africa kanye namanye amazwe omhlaba angamalunga enhlangano yezizwe (United Nations) azibophezela kwimigomo eyisishagalombili eyaziwa ngele Millenium Development Goals 2015. Phakathi kwalemigomo kukhona emibili okungu MDG 4 kanye no 5 ekhuluma ngokunciphisa isibalo somama abafa bebeletha kanye nabantwana abashona bezalwa kanye nabangaphansi kweminyaka emihlanu ababulawa ukuguliswa izifo eziphatha abantwana. Njengoba izibalo zibonisa ukuthi kubantwana abangu 100 000 abazalwa kuleli abangu 69 000 babo bayashona iNingizimu Africa yazibophezela ukuthi izokwehlisa lelisisibalo sibe ngu 20 000 ngonyaka ka 2015. Kepha kuze kube manje akukho mehluko kunalokho izibalo zabantwana abashonayo zibukeka zikhula. Ekhuluma kumhlangano obubhekisisa loludaba eCape Town ungqongqoshe wezempilo kuleli, uDr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, uthi akumele amazwe bese egxekwa ngokuthi asalele emuva kunamanye amazwe ngoba izinselelo abhekene nazo ngokwehlukana kwawo kazifani.

Dr. MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG: While every country should strive towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), we do not view this process as a race where success is judged based on the position one holds in relation to other competitors. We acknowledge that countries are at different levels of development and the amount of resources at their disposal for addressing their challenges vary.

MABUTHO: UTshabalala-Msimang uthi enye inkinga amazwe amaningi ase Africa abhekene nayo ukuthi afike aqeqeshe abasebenzi bezempilo bese kuthi ekugcineni bathathwe ngamazwe asethuthukile. Uthi lokhu nakho kunomthelela ongemuhle ekunciphiseni isibalo sabantwana abashona bezalwa, nabangaphansi kweminyaka emihlanu ngesimanga sokugula, kanye nomama abashona bebeletha.

Dr. MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG: Africa invested significantly in the development of human resources for health. Unfortunately, these skilled health workers who are central to our ability to successfully manage pregnancies, deliveries and the variety of childhood illness are being lost through recruitments to developed regions.

MABUTHO: Kodwa ungqongqoshe uTshabalala-Msimang akathandanga ukuchaza kabanzi ukuthi kungani iNingizimu Africa isalele emuva. Imizamo yokumthola ukuba ake achaze kabanzi ngaloludaba ukuba izwe lazi ukuthi kungani iNingizimu Africa isalele emuva iye yathanda ukuphazamiseka njengoba ungqongqoshe obebukeka ethukuthele futhi engafuni ukuphendula imibuzo emayelana nokuthi lelizwe lingelinye lamazwe asilele ngemuva ukusikelela izimpilo zezingane nomama abasanda kuzala.

Dr MANTO TSHABALA-MSIMANG: Kusho bani kanjalo?

MABUTHO: Le report ekhona njengamanje ithi iningi lamazwe akwi sub-Saharan Africa kubalwa ne Ningizimu Africa abonisa ukwehluleka ukuthi ahlangabezane no MDG 4 kanye no 5?

Dr MANTO TSHABALA-MSIMANG: Ayi angazi ubani osho kanjalo. Kusho bani kanjalo? ‘€¦Ubani othi sisele? Awukakafiki mos u 2015. Ubani othi sisele?

MABUTHO: Ubona ukuthi kuzoshaya u 2015 sikwazi uku meetha lama target?

Dr MANTO TSHABALA-MSIMANG: Ngikushilo lokho.

MABUTHO: UBishop Njongonkulu Ndungane wenhlangano ezimele engekho ngaphansi kukahulumeni ebhekelele ukuqapha ukuthi ziyafezwa izethembiso ezenziwa ngamazwe ase Africa, iAfrican Monitor, uthi kubalulekile ukuthi uma iziphathimandla zikahulumeni zenza izithembiso ziqinisekise ukuthi lezo zithembiso ziyafezwa.

BISHOP NDUNGANE: Orhulumente xa benze izethembiso ebantwini bethi bazokwenza oku noku ezozithembiso zimelwe ukuba ziphumelele. Kaninsi kaninsi sibona intobana sometimes izithembiso ziyenziwa sometimes imali ibekwe kodwa  ingade ike iqhubekeke phambili’€¦Amalunga ephalamente amele ukuba wona ngokwawo ayayiqwalasele ngokwayo ukuthi uba ngabe kukho izethembiso ezozithembiso kumele ziphumelele abantu babe nokufumana impilo enhle.

MABUTHO: Khonamanjalo omunye umbiko okhishwe kwiphephabhuku, iThe Lancet, osihloko sithi ‘€œEvery Death Counts’€, uthi  bekungavinjelwa ukufa kwabantwana abangu 40 200 kulabo abafa minyaka yonke kuleli ukuba izikhungo zezempilo bezisezingeni elifanele futhi nezinhlelo zokulwisana negciwane le HIV/AIDS bezisebenza ngendlela efanele.

See the English summary below.

Will SA reduce child deaths?

In spite of its middle income status, South Africa is high up with 10 of the 68 worst performing countries in making progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) that relates to reducing child deaths by 2015.

South Africa’€™s child mortality rates have increased steadily between 1990 and 2006. This is according to a report published in the medical journal, Lancet, recently. The Maternal, Newborn and Child survival Report for 2008, shows that the country’€™s child mortality rates increased from 60 to 69 deaths per 1000 children over the period. To reach Millennium Development Goal 4, which aims to reduce the number of children dying in a population, South Africa must bring down the current mortality rate to 20 deaths per 1000 children. The prospect to meet this target looks dim, so far. But Health Minister, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, says there is nothing to panic about.      

‘€œWhile every country should strive towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), we do not view this process as a race where success is judged based on the position one holds in relation to other competitors. We acknowledge that countries are at different levels of development and the amount of resources at their disposal for addressing their challenges vary,’€ said Tshabalala-Msimang.

Citing the lack of human resources as part of the problem to increasing child deaths, Tshabalala-Msimang criticized developed nations for poaching skilled health care personnel from the developing world.

‘€œAfrica invested significantly in the development of human resources for health. Unfortunately, these skilled health workers who are central to our ability to successfully manage pregnancies, deliveries and the variety of childhood illness are being lost through recruitments to developed regions,’€ she said.

But by international economic standards, South Africa is a middle-income country with far better infrastructure and should be doing better than low income countries such as Mozambique or Tanzania in reducing its child mortality rate. When approached by Health-e on why South Africa is lagging behind in moving towards reaching Goal 4, Tshabalala-Msimang was visibly angry. ‘€œWho said we’€™re behind the target? It is not yet 2015’€, she retorted. When pressed on whether the country will be able to meet the 2015 deadline on MDG 4 her answer was simple: ‘€˜Yes’€™. Then she left.

Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Cape Town is the Founding President of the African Monitor, an independent body which seeks to monitor how the world meets its commitments to the MDGs. He says it is important for governments to keep their promises to improve people’€™s lives.

‘€œWhen governments make promises that they will do this and that, it is important that they keep those promises. On several occasions we have seen promises being made and money being allocated, but later discover that there is no progress. Parliamentarians are supposed to make sure that if they make promises that those promises are fulfilled so that people are able to have a better life,’€ said Ndungane.

A report on the latest edition of Lancet medical journal titled ‘€œEvery death counts’€ revealed that the deaths of up to 40 200 South African babies and children could be prevented every year if gaps in the healthcare system, including poor patient care and lack of interventions to tackle HIV/AIDS, were addressed properly.