HIV & AIDS remains the biggest challenge we face as Ehlanzeni District Municipality. However big the challenge we are convinced that we have made a difference in the preceding years and will continue to do so.

Ehlanzeni acknowledges that Ehlanzeni has an HIV and AIDS epidemic. Ehlanzeni believes that should we fail to manage the epidemic; the AIDS epidemic will surely manage Ehlanzeni. The AIDS epidemic is a major threat to health, community development, political gains and the much sought after economic growth. It is increasing the already high poverty levels. As most breadwinners get sick and some die it is a great loss to Ehlanzeni as we loose future leaders, workers, voters and parents. Communities are becoming a liability to the state as more money needs to be diverted to social grants vs. investments. Children are left without adult supervision and parental guidance. Orphaned learners struggle to make ends meet and some of these children end up dropping out of school if no immediate interventions come their way. A majority of the people in Ehlanzeni are sick. 80% of Public Hospital admissions and those that visit health facilities are due to AIDS related illnesses.

There are over 25 000 people who are living with HIV and receiving ARV's as at the end of Dec 2009. Many people who need ARV's, estimated to be over 15 000, do not receive ARV's. Ehlanzeni has a huge number of orphaned children, over 13 000 reported. Reportedly each school has around 100 orphaned learners. We have over 300 schools in Ehlanzeni .Many of these children do not access state grants and support. The shortage of Health professionals and social workers is a great concern. There is no sector that is not affected by the AIDS epidemic. A majority of the workplaces do not have workplace HIV& AIDS interventions. A majority of the workplaces do not adhere to the HIV workplace equity code as defined by the Labor department. The influential role of the religious sector, Liquor distributors and Cellular networks however remains an area to mobilize.

There are Lessons learnt and research findings that have shown that AIDS can be managed and controlled. The management of the epidemic needs a coordinated effort by all in Ehlanzeni from leadership, managers, businesses, government, families, civil society, to media and development agencies. The vehicle for such coordination is the AIDS Councils. The big question however remains: Do AIDS Councils exist and function in Ehlanzeni?
Ehlanzeni has launched 6 AIDS councils (5 Local AIDS Councils and 1 District AIDS Council). The challenge that remains is that they are still not functioning as expected. They are superficially there and not properly constituted. There is a great need to strengthen the functioning of all AIDS councils in Ehlanzeni. Not all sectors are rightfully represented in the AIDS Councils.

Global trends
Presently 39 million are living with HIV worldwide, according to UNAIDS. It is clear in the 2005 Global report on AIDS that the Sub-Saharan Africa is still by far the worst affected region with 26 million (67%) people living with HIV and AIDS. The Sub-Saharan Africa is home to just over 10% of the world’s population and contain almost 2/3 of people living with HIV in the world.

National trends
In 1990, South Africa had an HIV prevalence rate of less than 1%, but by 2004, this had risen to 27,9%. These figures are taken from the annual antenatal surveys conducted by the Department of Health in SA. What they show is a dramatic and unparalleled rise in infections, giving South Africa one of the fastest growing epidemics in the world. While these figures are dramatic and even shocking, the epidemic for most South Africans is still largely a silent, as well as, hidden one. There are increasing anecdotal stories about people who are infected, families with infected family members, orphaned children and communities where the facts of AIDS are impossible to hide. But what still characterises the South African epidemic is silence and a lack of coordinated and concerted action.

Mpumalanga trends
In 2008, the Mpumalanga provincial HIV prevalence amongst 15-49 year antenatal women was 35.5% (95% CI: 33.1%–37.9%). It is the only province that has shown an increase in the overall prevalence in the past three years from 32.1% in 2006 to 34.6% in 2007 and 35.5% in 2008, the highest it has recorded since the beginning of the epidemic.

Districts trends
When district results are compared, only Ehlanzeni district has shown a decrease in HIV Prevalence, while Gert Sibande HIV prevalence increased from 38.9 % in 2006 to 40.5% in 2008 and Nkangala from 26.8% in 2006 to 31.8% in 2008



The trends at Municipal level
AIDS Councils do not have the required resources to support their programmes. Mayors are the champions of the AIDS Councils. Mayors appoint AIDS Coordinators in their Municipalities, establish an HIV & AIDS unit and allocate a budget for their AIDS Councils. Ehlanzeni as a District Municipality has appointed a Deputy Manager and Assistant Manager as AIDS coordinators and established an HIV & AIDS Unit in the Office of the Municipal Manager. This is however not the case with all Local Municipalities in Ehlanzeni. While Nkomazi and Umjindi local municipalities have appointed AIDS Coordinators, AIDS units and budgets have not been addressed. Bushbuckridge, Thaba Chweu and Mbombela local municipalities have not yet appointed AIDS Coordinators.

Back to the Top

• Reduce the 36% HIV Prevalence in the District by 50% by 2011.
• Increase by 85% the number of people living with HIV and AIDS and receiving treatment and care by 2011.
• Increase by 85% the number of Orphans and vulnerable children accessing care and state grants by 2011.
• Increase by 75% the number of AIDS Councils that are functional and operational in coordinating, integrating and mainstreaming responses to HIV & AIDS by 2011.

• Providing guidance to administration personnel on administration systems, procedures, legislation and regulations
• Resolving conflicts amongst the administration staff members by applying conflict resolution guidelines or procedures
• Controlling the administrative section’s expenditure in accordance with the approved budget
• Ensuring that personnel are capable of interpreting requirements and applying administration procedures and guidelines to accomplish laid down objectives and guidelines

• Coordinating, facilitating and supporting the IDP for the HIV /AIDS Programmes and responses in the District and local municipalities
• Coordinating, facilitating and supporting the planning and implementation of all HIV/AIDS prevention, awareness, education and openness mechanisms in the district and local municipalities
• Consulting and supporting all HIV/AIDS Prevention programmes of the district and the local municipalities
• To ensure compliance the National HIV/AIDS policy and strategy

• Developing programmes that cater for the implementation of the policy
• To ensure compliance to the policy of Council

• Developing programmes that fulfil the requirements of the District AIDS strategy
• Reaching out to communities through programmes that comply with the District AIDS strategy
• Developing a broader implementation plan that will ensure awareness, knowledge and understanding of all issues related to HIV/AIDS.
• Coordinating , facilitation and ensuring the operation of HIV/AIDS Prevention initiatives
• To ensure compliance to the District AIDS strategy

• Liaising with all local municipalities in relation to HIV/AIDS issues
• Advising local municipalities in the district on matters relating to HIV/AIDS
• To ensure that issues related to HIV/AIDS in local municipalities are properly dealt with

• Prevention
• Care for people living with HIV & AIDS
• Care for orphaned and vulnerable children incl. those infected and affected with HIV & AIDS
• To ensure support to all critical components

• Coordination: Bring together stakeholders to develop strategies and coordinate implementation of projects.
• Facilitation: Assist projects from civil society to get access to resources and to other government services and funding processes. Make council resources and facilities available and make use of community facilities like newsletters, notice boards and town halls etc.
• Planning: Ensure that the impact and consequences of AIDS are taken into account in the long term planning of the municipalities (IDP)
• Leadership: Mayors and Councillors are role models for the community and provide moral leadership on dealing with AIDS and those infected and affected.
• Mainstreaming: adapting all municipal programmes and policies to respond to the pandemic.

Mainstreaming is twofold, namely: Internal and External mainstreaming.

Internal mainstreaming involves municipalities acknowledging the impact of HIV & AIDS on its employees, currently and in the future. This involves issues of absenteeism, mortality, staff morale, loss of skills and productivity. It further addresses how to reduce the vulnerability of staff to HIV infection and support staff and their families. It also addresses how to reduce the impact to the overall functioning of the municipalities.

External mainstreaming involves municipalities addressing how HIV and AIDS affect the people serviced by the municipality. It further addresses how projects of the municipalities increase vulnerability of communities or households to HIV infection and what can be done by the municipality to respond.

Back to the Top

• AIDS strategy development & reviews
• IDP reviews
• Coordination of the District Home based care Forums
• Coordination of the District Child care Forums
• Host an annual Child Care Jamboree
• Co-fund and monitor the Door to door campaign by Humana
• Mobilize funds for NGO Funding
• Capacity building for Municipal leadership, AIDS Coordinators, traditional leaders, religious leaders and stakeholders
• Conduct Awareness campaigns namely: Condom week, Human rights day, Candlelighting, Child protection week, Red ribbon month, Care and support week
• Host the District World AIDS Day
• Host the Annual District AIDS Conference
• Manage the Districts AIDS Council
• Host the AGM for the District AIDS Council
• Host the AIDS Council Lekgotla
• Conduct Workplace programmes
• Mainstreaming HIV & AIDS in all programmes of the municipality and sectors
• Mobilisation of the Religious sector, Liquor distribution sector and Cellular networks
• Global AIDS Funding