5 Apr 2006

Hold Her Down, You Zulu Warrior!

What is it about South African politicos that makes them turn into moonbats when it comes to HIV/AIDS? First we had the bizarro President, Thabo Mbeki, inviting all the AIDS cranks and wingding thinkers to conferences. There they doubted the existance of any virus. Mbeki thus enraged Nelson Mandela and became a laughing stock amongst African scientists.

Now disgraced ex-VP Jacob Zuma, on trial for rape, not only admits he had sex with an HIV positive woman whose status he knew of, but that he afterwards "took a shower" because that way the risk of AIDS was "very low".

The fact is that Zuma, a Zulu from a non-circumcising tribe, has a 6 to 8 fold higher chance of catching AIDS in any case. That the Vice President of a quasi-modern nation can propagate "unsafe sex followed by a shower" almost defies belief. This statement has undone years of work by safe-sex campaigners all over Southern Africa.

How should Zuma know his exceptional risk staus. Well, from a French medical study that confirmed beyond doubt that non-circumcised African males like Zuma are at extreme HIV risk. Where was this landmark study done? South Africa.

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