By Nangamso Mabindla
16 August 2007

AFTER a week in Buffalo City spent interviewing young people about the dangers of HIV and Aids, Siya Peter met the acting executive mayor, Sizwe Dikimolo, to discuss what he had learned about the pandemic in the municipal area.

Peter is in the city as part of his Long Walk to HIV and AIDS Freedom - he set off from Queenstown and is planning to walk around the province to boost awareness about the virus and encourage young people to play their part in fighting it.

Meeting the young walker at the East London City Hall, Dikimolo said that he was proud to see a young person encouraging his counterparts to play their parts in the fight against the disease.

"He has taught us that this epidemic is not only limited to boardrooms; we need to go out to the field and show that we are serious about winning this fight. I want to thank him for coming to the city and I hope he is an inspiration to other young people."

Buffalo City had various policies and strategies in place to fight the scourge among its employees and its communities and it was one of the leading municipalities in the fight against the pandemic.

Dikimolo encouraged young people and politicians to join hands to accelerate the fight against HIV and Aids.

Talking about his experiences in Buffalo City, Peter said that the municipality was doing well in terms of creating awareness.

"Out of the municipalities I have visited, Buffalo City is the most urban and most advanced in the fight against HIV and Aids. When I spoke to the youth in East London, I discovered that most of them were aware of the scourge."

While they were aware HIV existed, however, they were still ignorant about its dangers. "Some of them feel that the scourge is no big deal; and that scares me because they're not feeling it's something to be concerned about. These youngsters need to stop thinking that this is the government's fight - it's time to close the gap between young people and the government," he added.

Peter was touched to see the involvement of some schools in Mdantsane. "I was particularly impressed by the teachers at Nzaliseko Primary School in NU5. They have a garden and a soup kitchen [which] they use to feed HIV and Aids infected people."

He encouraged the City to continue implementing the strategies drawn up to fight the spread of the virus. On Friday, 17 August Peter will meet the Eastern Cape Aids Council.

Once back home in Queenstown, he would document his findings on Buffalo City and send them to the other municipalities he visits so that they can learn from the City's approaches.