AIDS Killing Off South African Politicians

The Institute for Democracy in South Africa reports that in the last eight years, nearly half of South Africa’s local elected councils have died before reaching 50, the result of the AIDS plague that has infected 5.4 million people in the country.

“If you look at the statistics, MPs have been dying relatively young and dying in large numbers. These trends are not dissimilar from the general population,” said Kondwani Chirambo, the lead author of a new study commissioned by the group.

Chirambo also reports that 2.6 million registered South African voters have died from AIDS since 1999.

Part of the problem continues to be the stigma attached to having the deadly disease. Only one South African politician has disclosed her HIV status while in office.

Other countries include Senegal, where AIDS has killed three parliamentarians, and Zambia, where AIDS is the most common cause of parliamentary vaccancies.

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