It was like a script from a B-grade comedy. It had celebrity, riot police, witches and witch doctors. It had politicians and scandal. Through a set of bizarre circumstances this beguiled tourist becomes a political activist in a contentious debate.

In April 2005, although I was heading to the airport, I planned to drop in and say goodbye to a friend before flying back the United Kingdom. At her house in central Cape Town, Rukia was nowhere to be found. Instead the place was abuzz with emotion and activity. Students and volunteers jostled, a convoy of cars was arriving outside, and I searched through the faces for my friend.

The National Manager of the South Africa's Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Rukia Cornelius apologised that she was so busy. Her organisation, the largest such non-governmental organisation of its kind, amongst other things canvasses the Government of South Africa to secure medical treatment for HIV/AIDS sufferers.

I had visited the TAC office earlier in the week and had met some of the HIV infected volunteers, and was touched by the passion and urgency of their cause. On the walls were photographs of some of the fundraisers with celebrities such as Alicia Keyes, Annie Lennox, and Bono all assisting to give the TAC cause legitimacy through publicity.

Indeed, HIV/AIDS is a South African crisis, and according to the Department of Health there are 1500 new cases per day, constituting half a million new infections every year, altogether 6 million infected (2004). Adolescents and young adults have the highest incidents, with the burden overwhelmingly carried by women. AVERT.ORG state that between the 20-24 year age bracket 6% of males are HIV positive, while 23.9% of females and HIV positive.(see www.avert.org/safricastats.htm)

Rukia explained that "as well as being biologically more susceptible, women in South Africa are on the lowest rung of the social ladder, economically and socially. In terms of status, they have no voice, no respect and often no choice. One women is raped in South Africa once every 26 seconds."

"We're going to hear the Health Minister speak in one of the townships and are getting organised." added Rukia as she coordinated the legions. "It would be great to see you, but you'll have to tag along if you wish to catch up…"

I checked my watch and still had enough time and considered it an opportunity to view first hand one of the largest South African townships, Khayelitsha, and also get to hear a high profilepolitician speak. Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was after all the South African Health Minister. I readily accepted.

The TAC volunteers wore the characteristic 'HIV POSITIVE' T-Shirts and so in the spirit of community I donned one as well, mine signed by The Edge (of U2 fame). We clamoured into a vehicle mixed with students, sufferers and activists and as we drove we introduced ourselves.

Khayelitsha looked exactly like the townships I had seen on TV, dusty and impoverished. At the community hall, more apparent than the television crews and political touts, was the security presence. An armoured car with police response team waited at the entrance, while guests were required to have their baggage X-Rayed, and huge men wearing bullet proof vests stood strategically positioned with automatic weapons, amid the barbed wired fencing.

At the front gate there was some sort of consternation, and the TAC group was advised that we were not permitted to enter "with those shirts". Spontaneously, the group reorganised, everyone covered or changed, and as we passed through the metal detectors we were patted down.

Once inside, the T-Shirts came right back on and I was somewhat bewildered by the unfriendly response, so sought clarity. Surely a well-meaning group like ours would be welcomed, I considered. One of the TAC leaders filled me in. The TAC group had openly criticized the government's policy to support native healing as a remedy for HIV/AIDS, claiming that the treatments were ineffective and exacerbating the problem. Khayelitsha had been a SA Government success beacon and they did not want adverse publicity, when already there was considerable negative sentiment that the government had mismanaged the AIDS crisis.

The TAC group instead advocated the supply and use of conventional pharmaceutical remedies (like Nevirapine and Antiretroviral treatments - AVR's), more expensive but in the longer term cost saving. Currently, only 120 000 South Africans are accessing ARV treatment, although 500 000 are in need, including social education programs.

In turn, the government accused the TAC of grandstanding and doing the bidding of pharmaceutical companies, in return for financial favours. The leaflet touts outside were of two creeds, those supporting the government policy, and those criticizing it. The language was hostile, and Rukia herself had been accused of having opportunistic connections with the drug companies.

Droves of native healers, witches and witch doctors began to arrive, some in a red uniforms, others with traditional face paint and rattles. They explained the significance of their remedies, and indeed liked to use spells and incantations, and magical concoctions as AIDS treatments.

Another accusation made by TAC was that the SA Government had endorsed the products of one Dr Rath, his company selling locally made HIV treatments. According to Rukia, Dr Rath's products had failed efficacy tests in Europe and North America, and were not more than highly priced vitamins. The preparations were deliberately packaged to look like the authentic HIV drugs (same shaped pills, in similar bottles), and promoted with a lot of "techno-babble" about the benefits, thus confusing the public. It turns out that Dr Rath is a political ally of Health Minister Dr Tshabalala-Msimang and some claimed he was sponsoring the anti-TAC touts at the front gate to disguise the claims against his products.

The Health Minister arrived with her entourage and spoke just as Rukia predicted, acknowledging the problems with HIV/AIDS, yet focusing on the progress of the SA Health Ministry in the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS, her words were thick with endorsement for the alternative treatments and she was well received by the witches and witch doctors.

Now, in May 2006, Rukia explains that TAC is still actively campaigning to provide quality treatment and care for HIV/AIDS sufferers. As well as the usual programs they are now hitting the government where it hurts - in court. After one of the TAC campaigners was raped and murdered in 2003, Lorna Mlofana, the organisation learned that justice does not always come easily and sometimes needs to be fought for in a court of law.

Accordingly, in 2005 TAC embarked on and won defamation charges against the South African Government for its smear campaign. The South African High Court ruled early this year that the Health Ministry retract their claims and compensate by making national statements through the news media.

Now with momentum, again this year TAC will take on Health Ministry and the Medical Consul Council in court claiming they failed to honour their constitutional obligations by neglecting to conduct clinical medical trials and for allowing untested products onto the market. It promises to be a lengthy and heated proceeding.

Meanwhile, Dr Rath is opening up more clinics and continues to claim that his vitamins cure diabetes, heart disease, HIV and more recently bird flu. In the words of the TAC Chairperson Zackie Achmat, speaking during the 2006 Microbicide Conference, "it would be laughable were it not state sponsored".

As of writing, 3 million death certificates cite HIV/AIDS as the cause of death in South Africa; some say the figure is much higher due to the reluctance of medics to state on the certificate. What is certain is that the systems to treat and prevent HIV/ AIDS are under resourced, and failing due to cultural, economical and political factors. In spite of freedom from apartheid and economic and political restructuring, life expectancy in South Africa is diminishing due to this scourge. It turns out not be a comedy at all, but a brazen tragedy.