Alex dialogue told HIV stats still skyrocketing
ALEXANDRA – Not all men are trash in as much as we have bad apples on both sides of the divide, says Mphephu.
Despite widespread knowledge and information being available, it was alarming to see that HIV statistics were still on the rise.
This was the disturbing picture painted by Alexandra’s Charles Mphephu, chairperson of the City of Johannesburg World Aids Day. Mphephu was talking at a Men’s Dialogue at the Children’s Library on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Alfred Nzo Street on November 11.
Addressing a packed event with Covid-19 protocols on place, Mphephu, who is also the chairperson of the Alexandra Men’s Forum, said, “We might think that in this day and age, one would think that everybody knows about HIV/Aids and how to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the disease.
“But the stats are proving us wrong. There is still an alarming rise in the numbers of people getting infected by HIV but it’s just that this disease is now being overshadowed by the latest silent assassin in our midst, Covid-19.”
He lamented the fact that men were in the majority when it came to evil doings in society but when there was a good programme offered, they were nowhere to be found.
“Go to our prisons, men top the list of those incarcerated and those infected with HIV, those involved in gender-based violence and those with TB… But go to clinics, you will only find a handful of men.”
Mphephu said the dialogue was designed to engage with men to hear their side of the story on societal issues, with a view to thrash out potential solutions and at the same time encourage them to continue to take their HIV or TB medications as per prescription.
“Men hardly take their medication and don’t bother to go to collect repeat drugs either. On gender-based violence, I don’t take kindly to the notion that men are trash as we have good men and bad apples in this country and equally good women and bad ones too.
“Let’s not paint every man and or woman with the same brush just because a few of them have messed up. Let’s deal with the issue at hand and not paint every man or woman with the same brush, as we will eventually lose our focus and become engrossed on matters that do not lead us to solutions.
“I don’t think we have a situation in this country where we can say all women are saints and all men are devils.”
