"Memory waits quite often, like a train in a tunnel, until it senses a green light. Memory is alive, hunkering sometimes submerged, but often not. It is just kept in the dark. When it re-emerges.... reality is re-evaluated."

Wilde-Menozzi, 2001:44

Taken from "Childhood" a book compiled of South African writers and public figures, some known some not known - Mandela and JM Coetze - all of whom were asked to recall their childhood in a country that has sometimes not documented the lives of its children so well.

We as humans are exceptionally good at distorting moments in our lives. The realisation sets in, when the memory fades and a passing moment, music, smell or image reminds you of the times spent earlier - and how great or horrific they were.

In 1976, 30 years ago, the children of a South African township - Sowetto - rose up and protested the enforced learning of Afrikans in their schools. A 13-year-old boy, Hector Pieterson was shot by police in the chaos. This moment recorded changed the future of South Africa forever.

Children have sometimes been responsible for South Africa's changes, and now lie victims to the worst war of all - that of Aids. Companies are now starting to understand that for any kind of long-term growth plan they must offer healthcare packages in order to treat their sometimes 30% infected workforce as well as their families.

It is a difficult topic for the government to deal with, although constitutionally every South African citizen has a right to healthcare, however, with the current rate of AIDS and HIV positive patients, this would bankrupt the country. The cost of ARTs is not cheap, and these meds must be perscribed to a patent forever - implications of which dictate a sincere committment by all involved.

A lifetime promise must be made by each employer to his or her employee. It is already happening, thankfully, there are a few industrialists who are leading the way in HIV treatment for South Africa's labourforce.

Today many companies have healthcare programmes for their employees, but it is still not enough. The government must take some action over ARTs. I imagine that the new dispensing fees for pharmacies, which are aimed at reducing the price of medicine by up to 15% may be a drive in this area. But, at this point it is purley speculation, hard evidence will follow. It may also of course, be merely a concern by the drug companies in their fight against counterfeit meds - we will see?