Fresh Air, Charlene Smith and Phillip van Niekerk

By: Terry Gross

Narrated by: Terry Gross

Length: 44 mins

Publisher's summary

South African journalist and anti-rape activist Charlene Smith and South African journalist Phillip van Niekerk on this edition of Fresh Air. Statistics say every 26 seconds a woman is raped in South Africa, the country with the fastest growing HIV rate. Last year, Smith was raped, and feared the man who raped her could have given her HIV/AIDS, and she had a hard time obtaining the drugs that could lessen the potential of her getting HIV. Smith then wrote about her experience and helped spread awareness about rape and HIV in South Africa. She continues to speak about her experience and is pushing for legal and medical reforms in South Africa. Van Niekerk talks about HIV and AIDS in South Africa. Recently, the president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki has become very involved in the AIDS policy in his country. Mbeki is focusing on a medical theory that states that the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, does not cause AIDS. Many leading scientists have criticized Mbeki for wasting his time on what they see as a discredited theory about AIDS. The international AIDS conference is scheduled for this summer in South Africa. (Broadcast Date: May 11, 2000)

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