By Nangamso Mabindla
24 May 2006

A PROJECT co-ordinator has been dispatched by a Dutch local government association to help Buffalo City's efforts in its fight against HIV and Aids.

Funani Ntontela, who is being sponsored by the Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten, will work closely with the City's Special Programmes Unit to ensure that all its departments are involved in the fight.

"One of my main responsibilities is to strengthen the intersectoral forum that was launched last year," Ntontela said. "I am also aiming to strengthen interdepartmental forums. This area is very important because we need to have all the municipal departments committed to fighting HIV and Aids in the workplace."

In addition to working to strengthen the City's departments, Ntontela planned to turn his attention to helping the SPU set up a One-Stop Centre. "My role then [will be] to assist the special programmes unit towards the realisation of that One-Stop Centre that will take care of the needs of people affected by the pandemic."

The Swedish-funded centre will see to the needs of children, families and communities affected by HIV and Aids. The centre comes after a study by the provincial department of social development discovered that many of the city's children lived in conditions that prevented them from attaining their full potential. Many were orphaned or vulnerable after losing parents or relatives to HIV/Aids.

Talking about the duration of the Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten project, Ntontela said he would have to ensure that he met his targets in the next three years. "I only have three years to ensure that the objectives of Salga (the South African Local Government Association) and its Dutch counterpart are realised."

Another important aspect of Ntontela's work was to ensure that HIV and Aids programmes were placed in the City's Integrated Development Plan (IDP).

"Even though Buffalo City is leading the fight against HIV and Aids, we still need to streamline its programmes with the IDP. If we do that then we will be part of the City's vision."

Buffalo City had already moved forward in the fight against the pandemic, making the City one of the leading municipalities in the country. In 2004 it conducted a groundbreaking study of the prevalence of HIV/Aids among its 5 000 employees.

"With efforts like the prevalence study, Buffalo City showed that it was serious in the fight against HIV and Aids. We just need to get every one of the departments involved in our efforts."