1 October 2007

HIV/AIDS awareness music concert to be held on December 1

Good morning and welcome.

It is always good to see my friends from the media. I know you are ignoring me these days, so I am very happy that I could find something to draw you here today.

And it is a pleasant announcement we have to make.

You are all well acquainted with the HIV and AIDS awareness campaign, called 46664, which we launched through our Foundation in 2002. It has done great work in putting the global spotlight on the issue of HIV and AIDS - amongst other things through the concerts it held in Cape Town and other parts of the world.

Today we can announce that 46664 will stage a similar concert here in Johannesburg on World AIDS Day, the 1st of December 2007.

This concert is being made possible due to the generosity of the City of Joburg and is being supported by the SABC, 94.7 Highveld Stereo and others from the media and private sector. To all of you we say thank you for your support.

Johannesburg has long asked for a concert to be held here and I am happy that we can now deliver to the people of Johannesburg. We look forward to being joined by thousands of citizens on that day. The precise details about the concert will be announced soon.

46664 is of course not only involved in the staging of concerts. Its awareness-raising function currently also includes an educational play which is touring schools and communities, as well as a range of other outreach programmes.

I am very delighted that we are engaging the youth in schools, communities and through the media, breaking the silence and stigmas around HIV and AIDS and making them realise that the power to beat the pandemic lies in their own hands.

Together with a strengthened outreach programme, 46664 will continue to use celebrities from the worlds of music, sport and entertainment to speak to the youth about the disease, and it will continue to organise major events to highlight the pandemic.

Thank you for your attention and we look forward to a great concert on World AIDS Day.

I hope to see all of you at Ellis Park. I thank you.

Source: Nelson Mandela Foundation