Letter

I am concerned that some if not most of the free condoms supplied to our clinics are imported from The People's Republic of China. The new name for the repackaged brand-named condoms distributed freely by South Africa's Department of Health, Choice, is a contradiction in terms. Most of these condoms are imported from the PRC, a country whose citizenry - and that of Tibet, which has been illegally occupied by the PRC for more than 40 years - have no choice at all over their access to fundamental human rights. It is time South Africans knew how many hundreds of our own people have lost jobs because of our government's decision to import these condoms - did they have any "choice" in the matter? If our leaders claim that unemployment, poverty and the resultant limited access to good nutrition are all the underlying factors in the spread of HIV/AIDS, then why import the condoms? Why not give our own citizens the chance to work and earn enough to live a healthier life by giving them the choice of saying "no" to imported condoms and "yes" to condoms manufactured in South Africa? It is time that the Unions, NGOs and Civil Society bring this issue to the attention of our government and claim the right to manufacture all the condoms in this country. We should not be importing condoms from a country that is still to recognise the effect HIV/AIDS will have on their own people let alone the Tibetans.