Masibulele Sihlalo weBhunga laMaphondo leSizwe.
English:
Hon Chair, hon members and fellow South Africans. According to Statistics SA, Tuberculosis, TB, continues to be the leading cause of natural deaths in South Africa. It is also estimated that about 80% of the population of South Africa is infected with TB bacteria, the vast majority of whom have latent TB rather than active TB disease.
The highest prevalence, estimated at 88% has been found amongst people in the age of 30 to 39 year old living in townships and informal settlements, meaning that, that is prime of any person who is supposed to be at work and cannot take care of themselves in terms poverty lines.
The World Health Organisation gives a figure of 22 000 deaths from TB in South Africa in 2017 but this excludes those who had both TB and HIV infection when they died. These people are internationally considered to have died of HIV. It is estimated that 56 000 people with both HIV and TB died in 2017. It is a huge problem in countries where poverty, overcrowding and malnutrition is rife. Spikes in TB prevalence are catalysed by HIV/Aids and that have remained largely impervious to control efforts.
IsiXhosa:
Enye yeengxaki ezikhoyo ngesifo sephepha kukuba abantu bayayeka ukuya kumaziko empilo ngenxa yokuba ekude kubo. Kwakhona, izigulana ziyayeka ukutya amachiza xa kuphele iimpawu zesifo becinga ukuba banyangekile.
Loo nto inokubangela ukubuya kwesifo sephepha esinenkani ukunyangeka ngamachiza aqhelekileyo. Ukuhambela unyango ixesha elide lethuba lenyanga ezintandathu ukuya kwezilithoba, ngumceli-mngeni onzima kakhulu kuninzi lwabantu.
Kubalulekile ke ukuba abantu bandwendwelwe kumakhaya abo ukuze bafumane uncedo kwiindawo abahlala kuzo. Ukukhuthaza amadoda
ukuba aye kumaziko empilo xa eziva ukuba awaphilanga yenye yezinto ezingundoqo ekufuneka zenzekile.
English:
HIV and Aids provides breeding ground for TB because it finds the immune system compromised. In a country like ours, with millions of people living with HIV, it is important that our people take antiretroviral treatment regularly to avoid opportunistic diseases like TB.
As much as TB treatment is a personal journey full of recovery, a support system is important to reach your destination. No one can be healed if there is no support structure, either at home or within the community.
IsiXhosa:
Kubalulekile ke ukufundisa abantu ngococeko kuba iintsholongwane ziphila ngokuphinda-phindeneyo kwindawo ezingacocekanga. Ngoko ke kumele ukube umcimbi wesifo sephepha ungenzeki ngenyanga yoKwindla nje kuphela kodwa ibe yinto yemihla ngemihla.
English:
The Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape are the provinces which have the highest incident rates in South Africa with reported rates of 692, 685 and 681 per 100 000 respectively for 2015. The most notable decline has been Kwazulu-Natal where the incidents rate has decreased from 1185 to 685 per 100 000 over last five years.
We want to urge the Minister not to wait until next year to purchase and roll out 3HP medication and take advantage of the 70% price cut. This short course of two in one pill will go a long way to saving lives as opposed to taking 10 tablets a week. There is a need to improve living and working conditions of mine workers as they are vulnerable to the disease. The same must be said about inmates in correctional facilities if we are to curb the catastrophic consequences of TB.
It is worrying then therefore, when we see the spending patterns of our government that we prioritise bailing out state-owned enterprises, SOEs, when we have a catastrophe caused by TB right on our doorsteps. If we mean what we say, it means that we must budget accordingly so that we deal with specific areas that are challenges to our people
Government should intensify advocacy and awareness campaigns about TB. Messaging therefore, to conscientise our people about the realities and the dangers of TB in society let this campaign extend beyond March as a TB awareness month. I thank you so much [Applause.]