Almost six million South Africans are estimated to be living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.  Ironically, less than a third of that estimate has actually been tested for HIV. Many South Africans take the HIV test only when they are already ill. Some die before they can even start treatment. The model of HIV testing that Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi will announce today will offer every South African the opportunity to test for HIV when they come into contact with health facilities, irrespective of whether they have HIV symptoms. Constitutional Court Judge Edwin Cameron suggested this form of testing a few years ago. Judge Cameron, who lives with HIV himself, earned sharp criticism for suggesting that HIV testing be offered routinely as part of a comprehensive package of services. Years later, his is not the lone voice anymore.

‘€œIt’€™s not about anyone’€™s vindication’€, Judge Cameron said in an interview earlier this week.

‘€œThis is about a sane, healthy, productive, empowering step and I rejoice in that. We know that in Botswana it works. In Botswana you go to a health facility, unless you say to the doctor or nurse, ‘€˜no, I don’€™t want HIV testing’€™, you’€™ll be given an HIV test, and why? Because it’€™s the right thing to do; because it’€™s the empowering thing to do. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is a pathway to action on prevention to action on treatment. We could well have followed Botswana years ago, but I’€™m very glad that we’€™re doing it now’€, he said.

Is it a little too late? , I asked him.                            

‘€œIt’€™s late, but it’€™s also very timeous. It is, for me, a very exciting and important break-through in our dealing with the epidemic that we want to test almost a third of our whole country’€™s population and I think it is an enormous opportunity for everyone at risk of HIV to empower themselves through knowledge. I think with that knowledge we can make a turn-around because we know there’€™s evidence that shows that people with HIV tend to be more responsible about their sexual behavior. So, it’€™s a major prevention intervention. It’€™s also a major intervention that leads to treatment. We should have been doing this testing drive, maybe five or 10 years ago. Nevertheless, I welcome it with my whole heart’€, Judge Cameron replied.

‘€œTesting is important because there is no way that you will know that you have HIV if you don’€™t test. If we get everybody who needs to test, it’€™s one way of fighting the epidemic and getting people to start responding’€, added Pholokgolo Ramothwala, an AIDS activist and educator who has been living with HIV for more than 10 years.        

Ramothwala advised that the campaign should have ambassadors. He said people living with HIV and AIDS are best placed to give a human face to the campaign.

‘€œThey need to acknowledge that we exist. There are six million of us here’€¦ You cannot get HIV from somebody who does not have HIV’€.

‘€œIf there are no people with HIV at the forefront of the campaign, if there are no voices, if there are no faces, saying, ‘€˜I’€™ve been tested. I’€™m living with HIV. Go out and do it yourself’€™, then I think that’€™s a gaping hole in the campaign and I think it’€™s a mistake that should be rectified and it can still be rectified. We speak about the absence of voices for HIV, people who self-identify as living with HIV and with AIDS in our country, but that’€™s not true. We’€™ve got the voices. We should be using them. We should be celebrating them. We should be harnessing this enormous power of the spoken voice of HIV in our country and if we’€™re not doing it, it’€™s a desperate mistake’€, Judge Cameron agreed.

‘€œIf I’€™m given an opportunity to assist them I will be at the forefront of encouraging people to go and know their status, so that by 2011 the 15 million people that will be tested’€¦ the number will be achieved’€, said Pleasure Ndlovu, from Mamelodi in Pretoria, who also lives with HIV.

Judge Cameron encouraged South Africans to heed the call the Health Minister will make today when he launches the HIV Counseling and Testing campaign. He said he believes that ‘€œthe initiative will remove the remnants of HIV-associated stigma that still lurk today many years after the virus was discovered’€.      

 ‘€œThe meaning of an HIV test today is treatment, action, empowerment, positive living. This is a positive way to deal with the threat to your own health. When I was tested for HIV it was only gloom’€¦ only the risk of discrimination. Testing used to be a trigger for stigma. The new approach to testing is, in fact, I believe going to counter stigma because we’€™re normalizing it. We’€™re saying to people, ‘€˜hey, if you’€™re sexually active, go and be tested for HIV’€™. This is health-seeking behavior. This is normal. Come, let’€™s do it!’€ , said Judge Cameron.