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HIV/AIDS pandemic--a legacy of conquest and mistrust.

This is the view of leading social thinker Dr Mamphela Ramphele, former Director of the World Bank and former life partner of the security police-murdered Black Consciousness hero Steve Biko. Addressing the closing plenary of the second national AIDS conference in Durban last month, Ramphele cited the initial furore created by the government having questioned HIV/AIDS causality. In a speech entitled ‘HIV/AIDS: the mirror in South Africa’s face’, Ramphele said that just like Brazil, South Africa had the depth of scientific know-how and economic resources to deal a mortal blow to the disease. However, unlike Brazil, which unambiguously tackled the pandemic early on, South Africa continued to give out confusing messages and advice to people already overwhelmed by the trauma of the disease. Elaborating on her theory, she added: ‘Our scientists were largely white, urban based and outside the policymaking domain of government...we have a serious problem of mistrust that prevents us from acknowledging our problems and using our resources to address them.’ She said that ‘adding insult to injury’, the same racist system had over centuries in many parts of the world stigmatised black male sexuality as ‘dangerous and driven by uncontrollable lust’. ‘Unless we acknowledge the pain of those so stigmatised, we are unlikely to overcome our mistrust and build a better life for all.’