By Botho Molosankwe
Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has remained firm on her controversial views about HIV and nutrition.
But, when she again spoke about the benefits of garlic, beetroot, olive oil and the African potato, guests at the opening of loveLife's new offices burst out in good-natured laughter on Wednesday.
The minister had limped on to the stage in Sandton on crutches, declining to say what happened to her, as she joked she did "not want any sympathy" from the audience.
The minister had limped on to the stage in Sandton on crutches She has received plenty of flak for her views on HIV treatment, but Tshabalala-Msimang has not been fazed.
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"Nutrition is the basis of good health and it can stop the progression from HIV to full-blown Aids, and eating garlic, olive oil, beetroot and the African potato boosts the immune system to ensure the body is able to defend itself against the virus and live with it. I am sure that loveLife will continue to raise that," she said.
Tshabalala-Msimang said South Africa faced many social problems that the country alone could not tackle. She said maintaining a partnership with different stakeholders was important in meeting some of those challenges.
The chief executive of loveLife, David Harrison, said the youth would benefit greatly if the campaign could be sustained.
The campaign to educate the youth about HIV and Aids began in 1999. Its aim is to help combat the spread of the syndrome and to establish a new model for effective prevention among young people.
Harrison remarked that just spreading the message to young people was not enough Harrison said "loveLife employees used to be scattered in different buildings. The new offices mean bringing everyone together - the media, the call centre and the national programme management".
Speaking on how loveLife was combating the epidemic, Harrison remarked that just spreading the message to young people was not enough: there was a need to create a social movement that dealt with elements such as cohesion, peer pressure and parents who did not talk to their children about safe sex.
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