Hon Speaker, the story that was covered in weekend newspapers about Sibongile Khumalo, a woman in KwaZulu-Natal who has had to resort to eating cow dung for survival and in order for her to be able to take her antiretroviral medication, is a very sad one. This shows the extreme levels of poverty our people have to endure under the ANC government. [Interjections.]
The UDM is shocked to hear that, almost two decades into democracy, there are South African citizens who struggle to get basic documents such as an ID. This makes it impossible for them to access basic services. The failure of government to deliver basic services to the citizenry continues.
The Department of Health always encourages South Africans, especially those who are HIV-positive, to maintain healthy lifestyles. However, government's failure to act on the Sibongile Khumalo case makes a mockery of the fight against the HIV/Aids pandemic and poverty alleviation.
The UDM calls on the Departments of Home Affairs and Health to work together towards a speedy resolution of the Sibongile Khumalo case and many other shocking stories. Thank you.