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Headlines
August 2000

A Mother's Plea

If there is one person who feels extremely vexed at the apathy displayed by various players in the trucking industry when it comes to the HIV/AIDS threat it is Lorinda Stoltz, advertising manager of FleetWatch. Her dedication to getting the message across that the midnight hour has passed is admirable and it is this dedication that has led to her extreme frustration at the lack of action seen in the industry. Perhaps her passion stems from her being a mother and as such, she sees the future of the children of this nation under threat. An equal driving force, however, it that she really cares for the people in this industry. It is thus that when she stormed into the office of FleetWatch editor Patrick O'Leary pulling her hair out after receiving another 'it's not for us, deary' response to her many initiatives, that O'Leary asked her to drop everything she was doing and immediately write down her thoughts. Here they are and it's a call for action from a mother.

Face the reality - accept the responsibility - HIV/AIDS kills! This was our desperate call to a vulnerable industry and seemingly absent government when asking for dedicated attention to be paid to the impact of HIV/AIDS in the trucking industry - an industry that is estimated to be losing at least three professional drivers per day to AIDS.

FleetWatch met the challenge in facing this reality some four or so years ago when our first article regarding the impact of the spread of HIV/AIDS on the road freight industry was published. We, as a communication medium, accepted the responsibility of initiating action when others weren't paying it any attention. And over the years, we have continued in this quest via the generation of constant industry awareness campaigns at all levels.

We have done this via regular articles in our publication targeting management, as well as through initiatives like the Truckers Care Kits, the Driver Health Booklets and the like aimed at truck drivers - all made possible by initiating active partnerships from the dedicated, responsible players in our market.

How then is it possible that in the here and now - August 2000 - one month after an international AIDS summit was hosted by our country, we have a Department of Transport who, to date, have not yet concluded a business plan regarding HIV/AIDS in the transport sector and can therefore not commit themselves - via presence or support - to an industry identified as "high risk" in the spread of this deadly disease?

Where is the sense of responsibility when the Ministry of Transport expressed the "hope" in August 1999 that the Transport Awareness Campaign would come together under a common banner 'Don't carry AIDS home' and upon investigation eleven months later, we discover that the Director-General of the Department of Transport and the Director-General of the Department of Health have not yet reached agreement as to what the slogan should be?

How then, in the here and now, can it be acceptable or be seen as responsible when major role players in our midst are approached with the topic of HIV/AIDS in the trucking industry and still have a "it's not for us, deary" attitude as their reply?

Wake up - please, wake up! Your companies are under threat; your staff are at risk; and the very lives of your kids are at stake. And if you don't believe me on this latter point, just look towards the decision of the magistrate who, in a child custody case held earlier this year, granted custody of the two children to the father who wanted to take the kids to Australia. The mother wanted them to stay in South Africa. A large influencing factor in his decision, according to the magistrate, was that the kids would be far less exposed in Australia than in South Africa to two risks - AIDS and crime!

If you're not prepared to think of the future of your companies or employees, then at least think of the future of your children.

We can only - with great appreciation of the visible support from the companies who have partnered us via their endorsement logos displayed in this publication - pledge to relentlessly continue our efforts for there is much to be done.

For a start, we call on our Minister of Transport, Dullah Omar, to follow in the footsteps of Minster Mac Maharaj and show himself as a leader, for that is what his position demands. And as our editor is fond of quoting: 'Leadership is an activity, not a position'.

We also call on other manufacturers and suppliers to follow the example of Imperial Peterbilt and host for your clients a free workshop on HIV/AIDS to be presented by Trucking Against Aids. This is a FleetWatch initiative and we invite you to contact us for details. Phone me on (011) 794-2490 or e-mail me on lorinda@fleetwatch.co.za.

Don't just sit there - do something for goodness sake or, more importantly, for our children's sake! And if the men in this industry are not going to act, perhaps it's time the women in the industry rose up and demanded they initiate action. 'Women in trucking unite against AIDS - and apathetic men'. There's a nice ring to that!

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