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HIV/Aids

 

Material issue - healthy people
While there is effective treatment for people infected with HIV, the disease is running rampant globally, with two-thirds of the HIV burden being in sub-Saharan Africa. More than 33 million people are estimated to be living with HIV (including 2 million children) - 5,7 million of these are in South Africa, the highest prevalence in the world. Mining is one of the industries bearing the brunt of Aids-related deaths (along with transport, heavy construction, agriculture and fishing). A recent report from the Actuarial Society of South Africa estimates the mining industry’s Aids-related death costs at 3,4% of total salary cost. The society believes that without the rollout of anti-retroviral programmes and other initiatives, associated insurance claims could have reached R3 billion in 2010 instead of the R2,4 billion paid out. At Exxaro, we have devoted considerable time and cost to educating our people about this pandemic and the latest results are indeed encouraging. With appropriate counselling and support, 70% of our workforce has now been voluntarily tested and the numbers enrolling on treatment programmes are rising steadily.

The prevalence of HIV/Aids across Exxaro is currently estimated at 13%, compared to 25% across the industry. At the end of 2010, we had reached our target of a 70% testing rate for HIV, reflecting the impact of extensive campaigns to inform and counsel employees ahead of testing. Our target for 2011 is to have 75% of our employees participate in voluntary counselling and testing.

Other initiatives include:
  • Peer educators are supported each month in sessions for debriefing and training
  • Exxaro has started a programme to destigmatise HIV/Aids in the group and encourage employees to enrol on the HIV management programme and access treatment timeously
  • The projected number of HIV-infected people not enrolled on the treatment programme is tracked monthly to encourage 13% of Exxaro employees (projected to be HIV positive) to enrol on the HIV management programme.
  • Ongoing awareness campaigns help group employees understand the importance of their HIV status and provide information for appropriate lifestyle choices such as joining a treatment programme or keeping their status negative.

Community HIV programme

Exxaro has initiated community programmes at Arnot, Leeuwpan and North Block Complex, which will be rolled out to three other sites (Inyanda, Matla and New Clydesdale) in 2011.

Following a situational analysis in communities around each of the business units, groups were identified for
HIV/Aids training. The aim is to provide HIV education and encourage related testing in communities around
our business units to foster:
  • Lower-risk lifestyles
  • Increased access to available ARV treatment programmes
  • An overall reduction in HIV/Aids-related stigma that makes it easy for our employees to openly discuss their status both within the company and outside, and support existing initiatives.
Arnot has completed training the first group of 35 community peer educators from the Mafube, Beestepan,
Mooifontein and Rietkuil communities. Community learners were enthusiastic and talked openly about many
of the problems facing the community, including the difficulty in talking to their children about HIV/Aids issues.
For an HIV/Aids programme to succeed, it needs support from all stakeholders in the community who represent
religious, cultural and moral values:
  • Community members highlighted the link between HIV and poverty, alcohol abuse, migrant labour and lack of education
  • One learner said “There is a need for a coordinated and robust programme that delivers life skills programmes. Our culture might have made us who we are, but who we become is up to us”
  • Many learners recognised they needed to become HIV ambassadors in their community and within their own families. One learner stated “This course is going to build a strong relationship between me and my family because we will understand the danger of HIV”.

At Leeuwpan, HIV/Aids training will be provided to three groups: 35 community members, three traditional health practitioners and 40 caregivers from the Ekhukhanyeni Drop-in Centre near Leeuwpan. The centre provides cooked meals for orphans and vulnerable children, home visits and referrals for chronically ill patients. The caregivers conduct awareness campaigns and training on various wellness topics. They are monitored by a supervisor who conducts audits. Caregivers have no formal HIV/Aids training and little training in first aid. They have 379 patients on their database and about 70 orphans.

At North Block Complex, HIV/Aids training and support will be provided to two existing projects in the Siyathuthuka community just outside Belfast:
  • The Impilo Ende coal yard - provide HIV/Aids training to members of an existing project sponsored by North Block Complex
  • Sizimisele Home-based Care which has been operating since 2006. A team of 12 caregivers provides Siyathuthuka community with home-based care services and HIV/Aids awareness. They assist around 90 patients with chronic diseases and also provide services for orphaned and vulnerable children, TB patients (some of whom are schoolchildren and old people who cannot take care of themselves).
The statistics show Exxaro is making headway in its fight against the spread of HIV/Aids. Since December 2008:
  • 10 376 people have attended HIV training
  • 9 319 (90%) were counselled
  • 8 696 (84%) were tested and 8 343 (80%) know their status
  • 3 933 had never tested before (or not in the prior two years)
  • 1 163 tested HIV positive; and 583 (50%) were testing for the first time
  • 7 483 tested HIV negative; and 3 317 (40%) had never tested before
  • 115 more people enrolled onto the HIV management programme in 2010, bringing the total to 448
  • 323 are on anti-retroviral treatment

Exxaro’s HIV/Aids service

Exxaro’s HIV/Aids service offers employees support focused on four key areas: Prevention:
  • Employees are trained and offered the opportunity to test for HIV
  • Peer educators are trained and supervised in conducting prevention programmes and providing information to colleagues
  • Condom distribution.
Detection:
  • Voluntary HIV testing.
Treatment:
  • Employees who test positive for HIV can enrol on a treatment programme through their own medical aid, or through Exxaro’s outsourced service provider.
Care and support:
  • A service provider call centre stays in touch with people registered on the programme
  • Trained peer educators provide information about HIV/Aids to colleagues
  • Health professionals are available on-site to provide technical support to peer educators.


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