Speaking on behalf of Minister Aaron Motsoaledi at Monday evening’s opening of the Top2Btm symposium in Cape Town, Dr. Yogan Pillay, Chief Director of Strategic Planning at the National Department of Health emphasised the need for an HIV strategy that is “much more nuanced and targeted.”
The Minister was due to open the three day symposium dedicated to the sexual health of men who have sex with men (MSM), but was unable to attend and sent Pillay in his stead.
Reading the Minister’s speech, Pillay noted: “Even though the Strategic Plan mentions men who have sex with men, we certainly haven’t done enough to protect this group”.
Anova features prominently in an article in The Star that reports the findings of a PHRU and USCF collaborative study of men who have sex with men and HIV prevalence in Soweto.
The article features commentary from Anova’s executive director James McIntyre and David Motswagae of the Simon Nkoli Centre for Men’s Health. Based at the Chris Hani Baragwanth Hospital, the Simon Nkoli Center is run by Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute that specialises in providing sexual healthcare for men who have sex with men.
Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute, expresses outrage at the murder of a gay man in Kuruman, in Northern Cape province. Thapelo Makutle, a volunteer with a local gay organisation was gruesomely beheaded on Sunday 10 June after being confronted about his sexuality by his attackers.
This is clearly a hate crime on the basis of sexual identity and an extreme example of the ongoing prejudice and violence perpetuated against gay men in South Africa.
