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SAF Officials Play Down Rift With Mandela Over AIDS Policy

SOUTH AFRICA (voa) – South African officials are playing down reports of a rift between former President Nelson Mandela and current leaders over the government’s AIDS policy.

A spokesman for the ruling African National Congress Smuts Ngonyama said Monday the reported rift with Mr. Mandela was really, what he called, a “communication gap.”

Mr. Mandela met with President Thabo Mbeki and other leaders Monday over limitations on current availability of an anti-retroviral drug for pregnant women. While the government tests the effectiveness of the drug — Nevirapine, it has limited its use to 18 hospitals nationwide. Mr. Mandela advocates wider distribution now.

Mr. Mandela is advocating wider distribution of the medicine. But Mr. Ngonyama said it was agreed at the ANC meeting that the current policy on AIDS should continue.

In an interview with Johannesburg’s Sunday Times newspaper, Mr. Mandela said South African leaders should not continue to debate and argue over the drug while people are dying from AIDS.

South Africa has one of the highest AIDS infection rates in the world, with nearly five million people reported to be HIV positive. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Gauteng province has defied the government’s AIDS policy and announced it will make available the nevirapine drug to all pregnant mothers.

On Monday, provincial premier Mbhazima Shilowa said the drug will be provided at all public hospitals in Gauteng to HIV-infected pregnant mothers to prevent transmission of the virus to their child.

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