S African minister sees AIDS row link to sacking

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 10 (Reuters) South Africa's sacked deputy health minister said that disagreements over how to fight AIDS might have led to her dismissal.

Opposition politicians and AIDS activists, who had applauded Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge's direct and proactive approach to tackling the deadly disease, have criticised President Thabo Mbeki for sacking her earlier this week.

Madlala-Routledge told a news conference that Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who has suggested fighting AIDS with garlic and beetroot rather than drug treatments, might have been behind Mbeki's decision to fire her.

Madlala-Routledge said the health minister had threatened to hit back when she had spoken against using nutrition as a treatment two years ago: ''She (the health minister) has said to me: 'I will fix you' and maybe she has fixed me.'' The Department of Health said in a statement yesterday that Tshabalala-Msimang denied having made such a threat.

The statement added that the fight against AIDS would not be compromised by the sacking.

''The Ministry is determined to do everything possible to increase access to prevention, care and treatment programmes,'' it said.

An estimated 12 per cent of South Africa's 47 million population is infected with HIV. About 1,000 South Africans die each day of AIDS and related diseases.

Mbeki's office has said he did not need to give reasons for the sacking. His spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga told SAFM radio on Friday that was to avoid the president being dragged into ''mud-slinging in public.'' Madlala-Routledge also said she had been punished for speaking out on dire health problems at a maternity ward and for an unauthorised trip to an AIDS conference in Spain.

South African media reported this week that she had travelled to Spain with her son and a consultant, at a cost to the taxpayer of 160,000 rand, to attend the conference without Mbeki's approval.

That sparked speculation she could face the axe from Mbeki, who has stuck by Tshabalala-Msimang despite criticism over her AIDS policies.

AIDS activists were delighted when Madlala-Routledge took the lead on AIDS policy when the health minister was forced to take time off due to illness and applauded her policies.

REUTERS SLD KP1012