The decade of denialism is not the only reason for the spread of HIV in South Africa, but it certainly was one of the major contributing factors, which we live with today.
Do you remember when the President of our country questioned the link between a virus and a syndrome; when the Minister of Health said - no, not you, Minister, the previous Health Minister - that ARVs were poisonous; and when concoctions of lemon juice, beetroot and garlic were promoted instead of approved medicine?