Telkom to roll

The telephone company, Telkom, announces that it will buy and distribute five million condoms to its employees in an effort to fight AIDS, which has infected some 13% of the adult population. According to the announcement Telkom would buy about five million condoms during the coming financial year, in what is believed to be South Africa's first formal corporate condom tender. Government's national benchmark for condom distribution in the workplace is two condoms per employee per month. "Telkom's distribution rate for the next financial year will surpass this significantly, working out at eight condoms per employee per month," the company said in a statement. The supplier will provide some 42000 "basic" SA Bureau of Standards approved condoms a month and handle the distribution itself. About 1500 condom-dispensers had been installed in Telkom's toilets across the country, with supplies being replenished regularly. The company experienced a take-up rate of three condoms per employee per month before the supply chain became erratic as result of increasing pressure on government resources. By paying for the condoms itself, Telkom hoped to partly relieve the financial burden on the government, which up to now had footed the bill for condoms distributed to employees in the public and private sectors. The reality was that government has limited resources; so forward-thinking companies need to get actively involved in the fight against HIV/Aids in innovative ways. The problem could not be left to government alone. Telkom's internal HIV/Aids response programme launched three years ago, included awareness campaigns and free, confidential screening and treatment of genital and urinary tract infections. It also provided for an actuarial costing of the potential business impact of Aids. The next phase of the programme, due to start in April, would focus on medical, psychological, financial and legal counselling for employees living with Aids