S.Africa dismisses harsh AIDS policy criticism

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 19 (Reuters) South Africa today dismissed harsh criticism of its AIDS policy by a top UN official ''with contempt'' and said he was no Messiah for Africa's HIV/AIDS crisis.

UN special envoy on AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis closed a global conference yesterday with probably the most blistering attack ever on South Africa's ''lunatic fringe'' approach to AIDS, calling it immoral and ineffective.

Lewis' comments, echoed by other speakers at the Toronto conference, represented a diplomatic broadside against President Thabo Mbeki's government, which faces one of the world's biggest HIV/AIDS caseloads.

About five million people, or one in nine South Africans, are infected.

Health Ministry spokesman Sibani Mngadi issued a statement today rejecting Lewis' speech ''with contempt''.

''Lewis is not Africa's Messiah,'' Mngadi said, detailing South African accomplishments on AIDS including the distribution of millions of free condoms and a free drug programme that now reaches more than 175,000 infected people.

''What Africa needs now is not unsubstantiated attack on democratically elected governments, but delivery on the many resolutions made with regard to addressing poverty and underdevelopment which increases the vulnerability of our population to disease,'' Mngadi said.

South Africa has long been at odds with AIDS activists and medical experts over how to deal with an epidemic which kills more than 800 people in the country every day.

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