By Nangamso Mabindla
29 November 2005

TRUCKING against Aids was officially launched in East London on Tuesday, November 29 when a roadside clinic was opened in the West Bank industrial area.

It is the second roadside clinic to be opened in the Eastern Cape; the first was in Port Elizabeth. Trucking against Aids was launched in 1999 to halt the spread of HIV and Aids in the country's road freight industry.

Since its inception, 10 wellness centres have been established on main trucking routes in South Africa. At these centres truck drivers and sex workers are educated, counselled and given condoms. The aim is to create awareness about HIV/Aids and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among long-distance truck drivers and women at risk.

The launch was attended by MEC for Health Bevan Goqwana, Mayor Sindisile Maclean and the chairperson of the National Bargaining Council for Road Freight Industry, June Dube.

Maclean said he was pleased Buffalo City had been chosen to be part of an initiative that aimed to speed up the fight against HIV and Aids.

"HIV and Aids are a human rights issue. We need to speed up the fight against it. Clinics like this one will go a long way towards preventing the spread of this pandemic."

He pledged the City's support in ensuring that the clinic was a success. "We have a special programmes unit that will be delighted to work with you in your efforts to assist people in preventing the spread of the disease."

Goqwana was pleased about the launch of the clinic, saying it would help long-distance truck drivers avoid becoming infected with the virus. "They will use this clinic as a means to avoid STIs and also use it for voluntary counselling and testing."

He urged truckers to use the clinic, as it was opened for their benefit. "We need to encourage truck drivers to avoid the [virus] as it threatens to wipe out our people. I am also happy with the partnerships between the provincial and local governments and private business."

The initiative is a partnership between the provincial Department of Health, Buffalo City Municipality and the National Bargaining Council for Road Freight Industry.