Political parties greeted cabinet's decision on Wednesday to provide anti-retroviral drugs to sexual assault victims with mixed feelings.
"I cannot help but being a bit sceptical about the announcement," said Pan Africanist Congress MP Patricia de Lille.
"They have not announced any time frames... it might take another two years for them to implement it."
DA health spokesperson Sandy Kalyan said the government missed an opportunity to announce it would drop its Constitutional Court action, appealing the Pretoria High Court ruling in December last year.
"The announcement that rape survivors will be receiving treatment is certainly a welcome one, but without the provision of milk powder any child of an HIV-positive mother will be doomed," she said.
New National Party health spokesperson Kobus Gous welcomed the decision.
"Our policy has always been that everything possible should be done to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids - be it among babies, rape victims or any other person who had come into contact with the virus.
"Our only hope is that the new policy be put in place very soon," he said.
The Treatment Action Campaign said it was clear that some reason was beginning to prevail within the government about Aids. Its chairman Zackie Achmat said his organisation "warmly applauds cabinet's decision". - Sapa