Friday, March 29, 2024

President Sata extols anti-aids campaigner Winstone Zulu

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Winstone zulu

President Michael Sata has learnt with sorrow, the passing of Mr Winstone Zulu, a renowned anti-AIDS activist who pioneered the crusade against stigma when he distinguished himself as one of the first people in Southern Africa to take the bold step to go public about their HIV status.

This is according to a press statement released by George Chellah Special Assistant to the President on press and public relations.

President Sata recalls his personal encounters with Mr Zulu at the time he served as Minister of Health in the 1990s.

President Sata said: “I remember Winstone Zulu very well. When I was Minister of Health, we helped him with some of the personal problems he faced. He was a dedicated campaigner who did a lot to help fight stigma which makes HIV/AIDS a lot worse for many people.”

When he was diagnosed HIV-positive in 1990, Winstone took a rare and courageous act that did not only give a face to AIDS, but also contributed greatly to the reduction of stigma.

“He was a gallant fighter for the rights and dignity of People Living with AIDS (PLWAs) and was instrumental in the formation of the Network of Zambian People Living with AIDS (NZP+),” adds the President.

The Head of State says Winstone’s personal struggle with the disease until the advent of anti-retroviral drugs which he passionately advocated for, is a sign of leadership needed to fight the disease. It is such efforts which have today made it possible for government to put as many as 400,000 people on the life-serving drugs.

Winstone will also be remembered for his efforts to advance family and reproductive rights of PLWAs, leading to the introduction of routine HIV testing of pregnant mothers to prevent transmission of the virus from the mother to the baby.

“It is therefore sad for me to learn that Mr Zulu succumbed to the twin tragedy of AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) at the University Teaching Hospital this week,” regrets the President.

13 COMMENTS

  1. Apart from us being sorry for this loss,can we please learn something from this mans death. Why did his body give in to TB? Nutrition problems?social problems? drug resistance? was he neglected bcoz we are busy politicking. How about his medical record?could he have lived longer than this?why? 

  2. RIP Winstone ull be missed you really did alot to fight HIV/AIDS Stigma in Zambia i appluad u and we have lost a great role model.

  3. wow 400 000 zambian victims thats nearly half of botswana population imagine if gabs was just wiped out. thats a lot of mothers , fathers , uncles elders we’re losing there

  4. This the first sensible statement that has come out of this presidency since taking over. May Winstone’s soul rest in peace!!!

  5. #5 I think he could have lived longer but our health facilities are some of the worst in the World. The President really needs to work on this. Whatever money we are making from the Mines must be directed at making the nation much healthier. Botswana has made its diamond money work for the high number of HIV infections in that country. Deaths from AIDS are no longer frequent in Botswana. We should take a leaf from them and focus on lengthening the nation’s life expectancy. People should have easy access to clinics

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