South Africa: Dr Herb Takes Over Where Dr Beetroot Left Off - AIDS

Anso Thom and Lungi Langa
Sicelo Shiceka this week stuck to his controversial statements that "herbs" have an important role to play in "bringing down the viral load in HIV/AIDS".
Still recovering from an era of AIDS denialism and quackery under former health minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and then President Thabo Mbeki, South Africans read in a weekend newspaper that the minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs believed that herbs "surpasses antiretrovirals because your body gets used to them" and "arrests the spread of the viral load".
Offered an opportunity to explain his comments, Shiceka's spokesperson Vuyelwa Vika this week sent an e-mail response to a set of questions.
"The Minister believes there is enough space for both herbs and antiretrovirals within the health management environment in our country. His statement to the journalist was that since we live in a democracy where people have a choice, people should have choices even in terms of their health and wellness and the kind of medical treatment they choose for various illnesses and conditions, including living with HIV.”
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