AIDS LAW PROJECT

Beat It! 1999 Episode 5 - Human Rights

In the first of a series of Human Rights inserts we interviewed Fatima Hassan from the AIDS Law Project about medical aid schemes and particularly the case against Old Mutual.

Beat It! 1999 Episode 6 - Human Rights

In the second Human Rights section Fatima Hassan from the AIDS Law Project spoke about the legal requirement to provide anyone testing for HIV with pre and post test counselling.

Beat It! 1999 Episode 7 - Human Rights

The Human Rights section went on to look at the discriminatory practices of the South African National Defence Force.

Beat It! 2000 Episode 3 - Red Ribbon and Red Noose

In this episode the Red Noose was awarded to Glaxo Wellcome because of the high price of AZT. The Red Ribbon in turn was awarded to Fatima Hassan and the AIDS Law Project for helping win the SAA case against unfair and discriminating labour practices.

Beat It! 2000 Episode 10 - Special Report

In this episode of Beat It! broadcast we looked at the victory for People Living with HIV/AIDS in the Constitutional Court. The court ruled that pre-employment testing was discriminatory and therefore unconstitutional.

Beat It! 2002 Episode 4 - Special Report

Domestic workers in South Africa in the past have been tested for HIV without their consent. If these workers tested positive they would often be dismissed. In this Special Report we however met Veronica Xaba, who tested positive, disclosed her status to her employer and found support and understanding. Many employees were however not so lucky and so the insert goes on to show how the Employment Equity Act protects the rights of HIV positive workers.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 3 - Beating HIV at work

The Siyayinqoba Beat It! Support Group talked about the rights of HIV positive people at work in this episode. As an example the team used workers at a mine of Anglo Gold Ashanti. With the help of legal practitioners, we learnt the importance of understanding our rights and how they can help us in the workplace. Fatima Hassan, from the AIDS Law Project, joined the group and helped to shed a bit of light on how the rights of people living with HIV can be defended. Later Jason summarised the episode with the week's ‘Things we should remember'.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 23 - Handling death and loss caused by AIDS

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 18 - ARV treatment sites

In this weeks episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 we are talking about how the slow process of accrediting ARV treatment sites is causing problems for people accessing ARVs, we speak to James Nonnies about the death of his son Msimelelo due to poor access to ARVs, we also speak to HIV positive inmate Sifiso Zulu about accessing ARVs at Westville prison in Durban. Fatima Hassan from the Joint Civil Society Monitoring Forum joins our support group to talk about the problems facing sites wanting to become accredited.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 21 - Curative claims

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 this week looks at the debate around ARV treatment vs. positive living and curative claims. We look at the Manto diet of garlic, lemons and olive oil, we visit Zeblon Kholwa Gwala and look at his untested ‘miracle' Ubhejane cure, and we speak to Justice Edwin Cameron about living positively on ARVs. We are joined by Nozizwe Mandla-Routledge and Dr Trevor Majoro in studio to discuss the importance of tested medicines.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 26 - VCT or routine testing?

In South Africa we have a policy of voluntary counselling and testing. However, many people die because they test too late. Their CD4 counts are very low, giving the ARVs less time to work effectively. In the past when treatment was not available, VCT was important to protect people from stigma, but since the roll-out of ARVs, many people are questioning whether VCT and written consent is the best policy for HIV prevention and treatment. We are joined by Justice Edwin Cameron who believes that VCT slows down the response to HIV and Mark Heywood, Director of the AIDS Law Project who believes that testing must remain voluntary and pre and post test counselling must remain.

TAC and ALP Press Conference on UNGASS - Parts 1 - 2

Sipho Mthathi, Fatima Hassan and Zackie Achmat discuss the objection by the South African government to the participation of the Treatment Action Camapign and the AIDS Law Project in the United Nations' General Assembly Special Session on AIDS.The TAC and the ALP were two of six organisations that had been prevented from accreditation through the deliberate intervention of UN member states. Namibia and Belarus were the only other two countries that exercised objections. Hundreds of organisations from across the world had been accredited because their governments did not choose to exercise an objection.

Access to ARVs, Westville Prison - Sifiso Zulu, Sipho Mthati, Zackie Achmat, the Treatment Action Campaign.

The TAC is joined by ex-Westville Prison inmates to talk about the problems facing HIV positive prisoners in accessing treatment. Sifiso talks about how you are not allowed to be tested for HIV unless you are bedridden and how inmates went on a hunger strike to attract attention to the plight of HIV positive inmates. Sipho Mthati talks about how what the Department of Correctional Services is doing is unconstitutional.