Khama-led SADC rejects gays proposal

The SADC-sponsored United Nations Resolution on Women, the Girl Child and HIV, which was adopted by the UN recently, was established to curb the high prevalence rate and the effect that the HIV epidemic has on the southern African region. The minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Edwin Batshu told Mmegi that the meeting led to a commitment by member states to continue to fight the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Mmegi has learnt that the European and Latin American countries pleaded in vain with SADC to include gays, sex workers and drug addicts in their master plan if they are to win the fight against HIV/AIDS.  The 15 countries rejected the proposals, arguing that they already have strategies in place to deal with the groups.

“We told them that we cannot agree to their proposal because we already have known strategies in place to deal with those groups. We continue to explore other better ways to address the groups' challenges,” Batshu said.