Amnesty A-Z: S for South Africa
Image courtesy of tac.org.za under a Creative Commons License.
With a fresh new leadership and a new array of social and economic policies, South Africa may yet put its divisive and inequitable past behind it, or continue its maligned policies which allow slums and expensive sportscars to exist alongside one another.
Situated at the southern Tip of the African continent, South Africa represents a polarising view of African development. On the one hand, its middle-income country presents the successes of liberalisation, financial capital, and industrialisation. Its ranking and stature in the world has afforded it the opportunity to host the 2012 World Cup tournament, the first time the games come to Africa in history.
On the other hand, racial and economic inequality remains a challenge for the fledging democratic state, still held back by its years in Apartheid and its years of rule by questionable leadership. Today, we look at some of the particular human rights abuses that have characterised South African society in recent times, and some of the opportunities the country has to reform and reshape its position in the world.
In May of last year, large scale attacks and displacements of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants culminated in the death of more than 60 people, with over 600 others injured in targeted xenophobic attacks. Thousand were displaced in areas around Johannesburg and Cape Town, with inquiries suggesting xenophobic sentiment, employment competition, housing difficulty and corruption to be responsible for the crisis. Coverage of the crisis gave meagre applause to the authorities or the international community for its handling of those displaced and attacked; repatriation, services and integration was sporadic or unavailable.
Amnesty reports that high levels of violence against women “continued to be reported” at substantially high rates. Though reported incidents of rape declined by 8.8% in 2008, the South African Parliament was informed of a dramatic underestimation of figures; rape continues to be reported as ‘endemic’ in the country: a woman born in South Africa has a greater chance of being raped than of learning how to read.
South Africa’s HIV epidemic is known throughout the world by those with an awareness of global health: an estimated 5.7 million people are currently living in the country with HIV, with 58% of those in need of antiretroviral therapy not receiving it. This treatment gap is multifaceted, with health worker shortages, supply problems including high drug costs, poor political leadership and gender-based discrimination all contributing to the inequities in access to HIV care. Rather famously, the previous President Thabo Mbeki and then Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang long denied the spread of HIV by sexual intercourse, and insisted the many deaths in the country were the cause of malnutrition, poverty, and not HIV. Earning the title of Dr Beetroot, Tshabalala-Msimang’s controversial prescription of garlic, lemons, African potatoes and beetroot, as well as good general nutrition in the treatment of AIDS, reinforced the HIV/AIDS denialism that was attributed to Mbeki’s administration.
Image courtesy of tac.org.za under a Creative Commons License.
In April 2009, South Africa held its fourth general election since the end of the apartheid era. The African National Congress, Nelson Mandela’s original political party, assumed office with Jacob Zuma becoming the country’s President. Some say the 2012 Football World Cup coming to South Africa will bring new jobs, and renewed attention, to the social problems presently gripping the country. With a fresh leadership and a new array of social and economic policies, South Africa may yet put its divisive and inequitable past behind it, or continue its maligned policies which allow slums and expensive sportscars to exist sadly in juxtaposition.. The challenge is upon Zuma and his administration to redress history, and bring a prosperous and progressive South Africa into the 21st century.
Further Resouces:
For a substantial coverage of South Africa’s health sector and development, the Lancet Series on Health in South Africa remains one of the leading resources for any interested in global health.
Achieving gender equality in HIV prevention: a case study of South Africa – http://www.thelancetstudent.com/2007/08/01/achieving-gender-equality-in-hiv-prevention-a-case-study-of-south-africa/
Treatment Action Campaign, a South African NGO advocating for for increased access to treatment, care and support services for people living with HIV – http://www.tac.org.za/community/
Medical students interested in working in South Africa during their careers can contact Tracey Hudson at www.ahp.org.za.