S. African minister's firing draws praise

CAPE TOWN - AIDS activists yesterday celebrated the removal of South Africa's health minister, accused of causing countless unnecessary deaths by promoting nutritional supplements instead of conventional medicine for people with HIV.

President Kgalema Motlanthe, within hours of taking office Thursday, won instant praise by announcing that Manto Tshabalala-Msimang would be removed as health minister and given a lesser post in his office.

Speaking to reporters yesterday after being sworn in to her new job as head of government communications, Tshabalala-Msimang rejected criticism.

"The only critics were the media, and the media had lost perception," she said, adding: "I am very excited about the new challenge."

Activists accused Tshabalala-Msimang of spreading confusion about AIDS by saying she did not trust antiretroviral medicines and preferred nutritional remedies such as garlic, beetroot, lemon, olive oil, and the African potato. Her views earned her the nicknames "Dr. Garlic" and "Dr. Beetroot" and made her a favorite target of cartoonists.

South Africa now has the world's greatest number of people with HIV, counting some 5.4 million people as infected with the virus, activists say.

"Tens of thousands of South Africans have lost their lives because of her ridiculous policies on HIV/AIDS, and she should have been fired nine years ago," the opposition Democratic Alliance said.

Tshabalala-Msimang's removal suggested a shift in South Africa's AIDS policy and was seen as a sign that Motlanthe would pursue his own course, despite his vows that he would not substantially change ousted President Thabo Mbeki's economic policies.