As the global fight against HIV/AIDS and TB continues, South Africa remains one of the countries most affected, with the highest number of HIV infections in the world and a prevalence rate of 17.3%.
For Anglo American, which employs over 97,000 people in South Africa, the implications of the pandemic run high. This is why Anglo American runs the world’s largest private sector voluntary counselling, testing and treatment programme for HIV/AIDS and TB for employees and their families, which was also extended to its contract employees last year.
Anglo American’s guiding vision, ‘Getting to Zero’, reflects the UNAIDS ‘Three Zeros’ strategy, which is supported by three clear commitments – zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero discrimination.
This vision is already coming to fruition at its New Vaal Colliery, which is operated by Anglo American’s Thermal Coal business. New Vaal is situated in the Free State Province of South Africa, which has a prevalence rate of 32.5% HIV infections.
New Vaal colliery has a population of around 1700 employees. Between 2012 and 2013 over 90% were tested for HIV, and there were zero new infections between those dates. In line with Anglo American’s HIV/AIDS policy, there is no discrimination against anyone in the colliery or community with HIV.
Achieving zero at New Vaal can largely be credited to Sharon Montoeli, New Vaal’s health worker and the driving force behind New Vaal’s HIV/AIDS and TB programme. Sharon works tirelessly to make sure everyone is tested – and is bought into the concept of testing. She distributes condoms, and raises awareness by engaging with local communities and families.
“Thermal Coal has been quite exceptional in its response,” says Dr Brian Brink, Chief Medical Officer for Anglo American, Board member of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and a leading authority on the treatment of HIV/AIDS and TB. “Sharon has shown outstanding effort in implementing Thermal Coal’s HIV/AIDS and TB programme, with a personal commitment to saving lives. But the other key factor is that everyone is involved, from the top down. The senior managers at New Vaal are constant champions for the AIDS response, and it has very much become a way of life for them. ‘Getting to Zero’ is all about changing behaviour and making it routine, just as we treat safety as routine in our organisation.”