Hon Deputy Speaker, hon Members of Parliament, this year marks exactly 23 years and 10 months since the day the Ministers of Health met in London to adopt 1 December as the day on which the world would commemorate the lives of those who were affected and infected by HIV and Aids. This historic step was motivated by the growing realisation that the spread of HIV was not confined to geographic location, seasons of the year, economic status of the people or level of education.
In 1988, the theme for World Aids Day was communication. This theme reminded the world of the need to ensure that the message of those affected and infected with HIV/Aids was delivered without any ambiguity. Those who were suffering were yearning to hear someone speak a message of hope. They wanted to hear the leadership speak. For me, this theme is more relevant even today. We must strengthen our communication - the way we talk, the way we act, the way we live, our verbal and nonverbal communication - because they are key to sending the message of hope to those who are at the receiving end of this pandemic.
I am certain the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, learned from this theme, because when he took over the portfolio, he heightened communication of this matter. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the Minister and his deputy and to urge them to work even harder because someone who has been hopeless gets more hope when they speak. Some orphans get a better sense of tomorrow when the leadership speaks.
In 1988 and 1990 the themes were "Youth" and "Women and Aids" respectively. These themes resonated well with the challenge at the time. This is so relevant because unless we address the most vulnerable groups, which are the youth and women, our efforts will amount to nothing. The message of Aids had to be centred on these two groups. Women as mothers of the youth had to be taken on board and be asked to play a central role in addressing the challenge of the youth. We all know that Aids has killed more young people than any other age group. The idea was that if we addressed women and youth, we would cover 75% of the targeted audience.
In 1996, World Aids Day was commemorated with the theme: "One World, One Hope". This theme made people realise that in spite of the hardships, we are still living in a world of hope. There was great hope that either the message of care and support would grow, or that a solution would be found in our lifetime. The theme came at a time when many people were beginning to lose hope. In my view, it is from this theme that South Africa's effort gained momentum towards the establishment of the SA National Aids Council, Sanac.
In 1998, the theme was: "Force for Change: World Aids Campaign with Young People". This was the theme that called for serious reflection on how far we have come and what lessons could be learned from the journey of 10 years. This was a milestone period, a reflection on the debates of the relentless fight against Aids. In 2007 the theme was "Take the Lead", joining all leaders from all sectors of society to fight HIV/Aids. Now, over two decades later, what have we done? Are the statistics the only thing that we need to show for all our efforts? Is there any hope? Have we kept our promises? Have we mobilised the youth? Have we stimulated people to have hope? These are the questions that must be answered by the leadership across the spheres of society, regardless of political affiliation.
We need to be remembered as the leaders who, during their time, took action that brought hope to the hopeless, brought joy to those who were sad, brought relief to those in pain. We must be ready to stand up and be counted. My brief reflection on various themes has exposed how impossible it would be for any government to attain those themes working on its own. The government is based on the slogan, "Working together, we can do more." It is clear that all themes have needed co-operation from other sectors in order to be successfully implemented.
In this regard, I would like to single out one sector that has been a pillar of strength, a shoulder to cry on, or a good partner in service delivery. This is the sector that works with people at the grass-roots level. This sector consists of the nongovernmental organisations, or NGOs. I think we need to pay special tribute to the NGO sector because their ... [Time expired.] Thank you very much. [Applause.]