Mantombazana "Manto" Edmie Tshabalala-Msimang (née Mali; 9 October 1940 – 16 December 2009) was a South African politician. She was Deputy Minister of Justice from 1996 to 1999 and served as Minister of Health from 1999 to 2008 under President
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...
. She also served as Minister in the Presidency under President
Kgalema Motlanthe from September 2008 to May 2009.
Her emphasis on treating South Africa's
AIDS epidemic with easily accessible vegetables such as
African potato, garlic and
beetroot, rather than with
antiretroviral medicines, was the subject of local and international criticism. These policies led to the deaths of over 300,000 infected South Africans.
Education
Born as Mantombazana Edmie Mali in
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, Tshabalala-Msimang graduated from
Fort Hare University
The University of Fort Hare is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
It was a key institution of higher education for Africans from 1916 to 1959 when it offered a Western-style academic education to students from across sub ...
in 1961. As one of a number of young
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
cadres sent into exile for education, she received medical training at the
First Leningrad Medical Institute in the Soviet Union from 1962 to 1969. She then trained as a registrar in
obstetrics and
gynaecology in Tanzania, finishing there in 1972. In 1980 she received a master's in
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
from the
University of Antwerp
The University of Antwerp ( nl, Universiteit Antwerpen) is a major Belgian university located in the city of Antwerp. The official abbreviation is ''UA'', but ''UAntwerpen'' is more recently used. The University of Antwerp has about 20,000 stud ...
in Belgium.
She was an official within the exiled ANC leadership in Tanzania and
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
during the latter decade of
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
, with job responsibilities focused on the health and well-being of ANC militants there.
AIDS policies
Tshabalala-Msimang's administration as Minister of Health was controversial, because of her reluctance to adopt a public sector plan for treating AIDS with
anti-retroviral
The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of multip ...
medicines (ARVs). In 2000, she was interviewed by
Radio 702
702 is a commercial FM radio station based in Johannesburg, South Africa, broadcasting on FM 92.7 and FM 106 to the greater Gauteng province. The station is also webcast via its website. It claims to be Johannesburg's number one news and talk ...
presenter
John Robbie
John Cameron Robbie (born 17 November 1955) is a former international rugby union player who played scrum half, and a well known radio presenter in South Africa on Talk radio 702. His previous rugby career has also seen him take up the role of ...
, Tshabalala-Msimang refused to say whether she believed HIV caused AIDS. She was called ''Dr. Beetroot'' for promoting the benefits of
beet
The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant, usually known in North America as beets while the vegetable is referred to as beetroot in British English, and also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet or golden beet ...
root, garlic,
lemons
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...
, and African potatoes as well as good general nutrition, while referring to possible toxicities of AIDS medicines.
She was widely seen as following an AIDS policy in line with the ideas of South African President Thabo Mbeki, who for a time publicly expressed
doubts about whether HIV caused AIDS.
In 2002, the South African Cabinet affirmed the policy that "HIV causes AIDS" which as an official statement silenced any further speculation on this topic by Cabinet members, including the President. In August 2003, the cabinet also voted to make anti-retrovirals available in the public sector, and instructed Tshabalala-Msimang to carry out the policy.
The
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and its founder
Zackie Achmat
Abdurrazack "Zackie" Achmat (born 21 March 1962) is a South African activist and film director. He is a co-founder the Treatment Action Campaign and known worldwide for his activism on behalf of people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa. ...
often targeted the minister for criticism, accusing the government and the Ministry of Health in particular of an inadequate response to the AIDS epidemic. The TAC led a campaign calling for her resignation or dismissal.
The TAC accused Tshabalala-Msimang of being aligned with
Matthias Rath
Matthias Rath (born 1955) is a doctor, businessman, and vitamin salesman. He earned his medical degree in Germany. Rath claims that a program of dietary supplement, nutritional supplements (which he calls "cellular medicine"), including formulati ...
, a German physician and vitamin entrepreneur, who had charges laid against him for discouraging the use of ARVs.
Tshabalala-Msimang placed her emphasis on broad public health goals, seeing AIDS as only one aspect of that effort and one which, because of the incurable nature of HIV and financial costs of HIV treatment, might impede broader efforts to improve public health. A report making the case that AIDS is such a burden on the public health system that treating it would actually free up costs was sent back for clarification and not released in the summer of 2003, until it was obtained and leaked by TAC. After the cabinet vote to accept the findings of this report, Tshabalala-Msimang was in charge of the
ARV roll-out, but continued to emphasise the importance of nutrition in AIDS and to urge others to see AIDS as only one problem among many in South African health.
A case that attracted much public attention was
Nozipho Bhengu, daughter of an
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
legislator, who rejected anti-retroviral treatments for AIDS in favour of Tshabalala-Msimang's garlic and lemon diet. The minister declined to attend her funeral, and her stand-in was booed off the podium.
In February 2005, the
Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) criticised the health department for their failure to ensure that most of the 30 million rand used to establish the government's AIDS trust in 2002 had been spent. They said only R520,000 of this money was used and of this a large portion had been squandered on unoccupied offices for the SANAC secretariat, something that drew criticism from the auditor-general.
In August 2006, at the
International AIDS Conference in Toronto,
Stephen Lewis, the United Nations special envoy for AIDS in Africa, closed the conference with a sharp critique of South Africa's government. He said South Africa promoted a "lunatic fringe" attitude toward HIV and AIDS, describing the government as "obtuse, dilatory, and negligent about rolling out treatment".
After the conference, sixty-five of the world's leading HIV/AIDS scientists (most of them were attending the conference) asked in a letter that
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...
dismiss Tshabalala-Msimang.
Traditional medicines
At a meeting with traditional healers to discuss future legislation in February 2008, Tshabalala-Msimang argued that traditional remedies should not become "bogged down" in clinical trials, also saying, "We cannot use Western models of protocols for research and development".
In September 2008, Tshabalala-Msimang called for greater protection of the intellectual rights of Africa's traditional medicines. Speaking at the 6th commemoration of The African
Traditional Medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
Day in
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
's capital of
Yaoundé
Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...
, she said that the continent should benefit more from its ancient traditional knowledge.
Personal
Tshabalala-Msimang married her first husband, Mandla Tshabalala, while both were in exile in the Soviet Union. Later she married
Mendi Msimang
Mendi Msimang (8 December 1928 – 3 December 2018) was the treasurer of the African National Congress from 1997 until 2012.Calland, Richard (2006) ''Anatomy of South Africa: Who Holds the Power Today?'', Zebra Press, , p. 288
Biography
From 199 ...
, the treasurer of the African National Congress.
Concern over Tshabalala-Msimang's health came to the fore in late 2006. She was admitted to the Johannesburg Hospital on 20 February 2007, suffering from
anaemia and
pleural effusion
A pleural effusion is accumulation of excessive fluid in the pleural space, the potential space that surrounds each lung.
Under normal conditions, pleural fluid is secreted by the parietal pleural capillaries at a rate of 0.6 millilitre per k ...
(an abnormal accumulation of fluid around the lungs). The Department of Health approached President Thabo Mbeki, and asked him to appoint an acting minister, and on 26 February
Jeff Radebe
Jeffrey Thamsanqa "Jeff" Radebe (born 18 February 1953) is a South African politician who was last appointed as Minister of Energy by Cyril Ramaphosa on 26 February 2018. He served in the government of South Africa as Minister in the Presidency ...
was appointed acting health minister. On 14 March 2007, Tshabalala-Msimang underwent a
liver transplant
Liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is the replacement of a diseased liver with the healthy liver from another person (allograft). Liver transplantation is a treatment option for end-stage liver disease and acute liver failure, al ...
. The stated cause was
autoimmune hepatitis
Autoimmune hepatitis, formerly known as lupoid hepatitis, plasma cell hepatitis, or autoimmune chronic active hepatitis, is a chronic, autoimmune disease of the liver that occurs when the body's immune system attacks liver cells, causing the live ...
with
portal hypertension, but the transplant was surrounded by accusations of heavy drinking.
She subsequently recovered her health and returned to her Ministerial duties until her replacement as health minister in 2008.
On 16 December 2009, she died due to complications related to her liver transplant.
Scandal
On 12 August 2007, four days after the controversial dismissal of her deputy minister,
Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, the ''
Sunday Times'' ran an article titled "Manto's hospital booze binge" about a previous hospital stay in 2005 for a shoulder operation.
[Manto’s hospital booze binge](_blank)
, ''Sunday Times'' (South Africa). Published 12 August 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2007. The article alleged that she sent hospital workers out to fetch wine,
whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...
and food items, in one case at 1:30 am. Tshabalala-Msimang threatened legal action against the newspaper on the grounds that they were in possession of her medical records. The paper defended its statements, stating that "a retraction was not under consideration". The article also reported speculation among "many top medical experts at state and private institutions, who refused to be named as they feared retribution from the health ministry" that her liver condition was
alcohol-induced,
cirrhosis
Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue rep ...
.
According to a ''
Sunday Times'' article titled "Manto: A Drunk and a Thief" published on 19 August 2007, the minister was a convicted thief who had stolen patient items at a hospital in Botswana, and had been deported from Botswana and declared a prohibited immigrant.
[MANTO: A DRUNK AND A THIEF](_blank)
, Sunday Times article. Published 19 August 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2007.
ANC politics and replacement as Health Minister
With the endorsement of
Jacob Zuma's supporters, Tshabalala-Msimang was re-elected to the ANC's 80-member
National Executive Committee National Executive Committee is the name of a leadership body in several organizations, mostly political parties:
* National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, in South Africa
* Australian Labor Party National Executive
* Nationa ...
in December 2007 in 55th place, with 1,591 votes.
Mbeki was forced to resign by the ANC in September 2008. When his successor, Kgalema Motlanthe, took office on 25 September 2008, he moved Tshabalala-Msimang to the post of Minister in the Presidency, appointing
Barbara Hogan to replace her as Minister of Health.
Tshabalala-Msimang was not included in the first Cabinet of President
Jacob Zuma, announced on 10 May 2009.
Death
Tshabalala-Msimang died on 16 December 2009 at the Wits University Donald Gordon Medical Centre and Medi-Clinic ICU. Her doctor, Professor Jeff Wing, announced that she died due to complications arising from a liver transplant.
"Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has died"
''Sunday Times (Johannesburg)'', 16 December 2009.
Political opponents and friends alike expressed shock at the announcement of her death:
* The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) – "We don't wish ill on any human being even though we had a very difficult time with her as minister of health. We are sending our condolences to her family and children."
* Helen Zille
Otta Helene Maree (''née'' Zille ; born 9 March 1951), known as Helen Zille, is a South African politician. She has served as the Chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance since 20 October 2019. From 2009 until 2019, she w ...
, leader of the Democratic Alliance – "We extend our sincere regrets to her family and loved ones. It is sad when anyone dies. Like many politicians she was controversial. However, that doesn't detract from the sadness of her death".
* COSATU president Sidumo Dlamini – "This is shocking news. Somebody asked me yesterday what message we were going to send her in hospital and I said we hoped and wished her a speedy recovery. She made some mistakes by driving those policies but she was a human being. Her loss is a great loss. South Africa is losing a great leader of the ANC
The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
."
See also
* HIV/AIDS in Africa
HIV/AIDS originated in Africa in the early 20th century and is a major public health concern and cause of death in many African countries. AIDS rates vary significantly between countries, though the majority of cases are concentrated in Souther ...
* Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge
* South African Department of Health
References
External links
Manto replaced by Barbara Hogan
Tshabalala-Msimang's CV
Democratic Alliance website detailing Tshabalala-Msimang's failures and gaffes
Sack Manto
a South African initiative to oust the incumbent minister
Aids experts condemn South African minister
Transcript of radio interview with Tshabalala-Msimang, asking her whether HIV causes AIDS
In her own words:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tshabalala-Msimang
1940 births
2009 deaths
Health ministers of South Africa
Members of the National Assembly of South Africa
People from Durban
South African politicians convicted of crimes
University of Antwerp alumni
HIV/AIDS denialists
African National Congress politicians
Women government ministers of South Africa
20th-century South African women politicians
20th-century South African politicians
Liver transplant recipients
Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa