Soldiers take SANDF to court

2008-05-15T16:20:00+00:00

Johannesburg - A union representing South African soldiers is to take the country's armed forces to court on Thursday for alleged discrimination against HIV-infected personnel, it said Wednesday.

The South African Security Forces Union (Sasfu) is accusing the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) of discriminating against HIV-infected people by refusing them employment, promotion or deployment to foreign posts.

"They have got a policy of mandatory testing. Being HIV-negative is a pre-requisite to gain employment in SANDF," said Sasfu deputy president Charles Jacobs.

He said that after being employed, members of the military had to undergo mandatory HIV testing once a year during a health assessment, and every time they applied for a promotion or deployment overseas.

Jacobs said South Africa was the only country in the world whose military operated under these "unconstitutional" policies.

With 5½ million HIV infections in a population of 48 million, South Africa had the world's worst Aids problem and, according to Nonkosi Khumalo, a researcher with the Aids Law Project (ALP), up to 35% of defence force personnel was infected in 2004.

The South African Navy & Marine and Coastal Management: Soldiers take SANDF to court

Soldiers take SANDF to court