‘Hardline’ ANC Official, AIDS Dissident Peter Mokaba Dies

Senior African National Congress official Peter Mokaba, who was widely criticized for questioning the causal link between HIV and AIDS, died on Sunday night at his home in Johannesburg of acute pneumonia after a "long illness," Reuters reports. Mokaba was recently asked by the ANC to refrain from making public comments about HIV/AIDS that contradicted national policy. However, Mokaba reportedly repeated his belief that HIV does not cause AIDS in several interviews three days prior to his death. Yesterday, South African President Thabo Mbeki said that Mokaba, who also served as a member of Parliament and as the ANC's head election strategist, "stood, and still stands, for the undying spirit of our movement and our democracy, which he helped to build." Mbeki is considering cutting short a four-day visit to Libya in order to attend Mokaba's state funeral on Sunday. Pan African Congress leader Stanley Mogoba added that Mokaba's "shock[ing]" death was a "loss to the country" (Mseteka, Reuters, 6/10).