Deputy President Paul Mashatile is expected to deliver a keynote address during the national World TB Day commemorative event in Gauteng at the weekend.

The Deputy President will also launch the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) Situation Room at the same event.

According to the Presidency, the country’s second-in-command will lead the event on Sunday, 24 March 2024, in Evaton, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the SANAC.

World TB Day is commemorated each year on March 24, to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to eliminate the disease.

This day also highlights the devastating health, social and economic impact of TB.

South Africa is among the countries hardest hit by TB and has remained a leading cause of death in the country, claiming around 56 000 lives a year, 53% of which are people living with HIV.

This year’s official country theme for World TB Day is ‘Yes! You and I Can End TB’.

This, the Presidency said, is a clarion call to encourage
all South Africans to contribute to the national effort against TB.

‘The theme also emphasises the importance of being accountable as an individual and as part of a collective,’ read a Presidency statement.

This year’s commemoration will be marked by the launch of the SANAC Situation Room, a cutting-edge data visualisation and analytics platform that provides up-to-date statistics in an easy-to-use format to support evidence-based decision-making and planning.

‘It does this by bringing together both biomedical and non-biomedical data from a variety of disparate data sources and consolidates it into a single repository from which insights and nuances can be drawn.’

In addition, the World TB Day commemoration will be preceded by ‘policy-in-action’ engagements led by the SANAC Civil Society Forum in collaboration with government, the private sector and development partners on 22 and 23 March in various areas around the Sedibeng District.

The Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla; Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi;
SANAC Civil Society Chairperson Steve Letsike and Chairperson of the SANAC Private Sector Forum Mpumi Zikalala will join Deputy President Mashatile.

Leaders from the United Nations agencies, United States government agencies, research entities, civil society movements and the private sector, will also be represented.

Source: South African Government News Agency