The Sunday newspaper Sunday Independent reported that the special mixture prescribed by SA Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang to fight HIV/AIDS, could be a recipe for disaster. The African potato, with a mixture of garlic, onions and virgin olive oil, was advocated by the minister as an immune-boosting combination for people living with HIV and Aids. The minister's prescription was widely disparaged in the medical and media fraternity alike. A new study published this month by Aids, one of the world's leading HIV journals, said that the African potato might significantly weaken the power of anti-HIV medicines (antiretroviral or ARVs) by altering their concentration in the bloodstream.

The South African squad of Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend and Ryk Neethling clocked 3 minutes and 13.17 seconds to triumph over the Netherlands (2nd) and the US team (3rd). The triumph was South Africa's fourth gold medal since re-admission to the Olympics in Barcelona 1992, adding to the two won by swimmer Penny Heyns in Atlanta and the marathon gold by Josia Thugwane at the same Olympics.

It was announced that at least one-fifth of South Africa's military was infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS. Therefore on 7 October 2003 the Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota stated that 'the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is no longer accepting HIV positive people into their ranks'. Below, an extract from article 'HIV/AIDS: Policies and programmes for blue helmets' by Roxanne Bazergan Back in 1999 the SANDF reportedly stopped donating blood because of the pandemic, and following an internal health review in July 1999, declared HIV/AIDS to be one of its most important strategic issues... ...The higher prevalence rates make HIV/AIDS an immediate and acute issue for the armed forces. The loss of personnel compromises combat readiness, particularly an army's ability to deploy at short notice, and upsets the continuity of command and the efficacy of detachments. Training new recruits also absorbs already scarce resources. According to Lindy Heinecken, Deputy Director of the Centre for Military Studies at the South African Military Academy, the SANDF's concern was largely sparked by the high HIV rates found in soldiers between the age of 23 and 29, as officers and non-commissioned officers in this age group normally fulfil critical skilled, operational and supervisory roles... ... In 2004 the SANDF allegedly had problems composing an initial detachment of 93 soldiers for the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The SANDF first tested a group of 400 potential peacekeepers. But 90% were found to be HIV-positive. A second group of 400 produced slightly better results when tested - only 87% were positive...

Six men accused of killing Mozambican investigative journalist Carlos Cardoso, were convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. One of the suspects, Anibal dos Santos Junior, popularly known as Anibalzinho, who escaped from pre-trial detention, was tracked down in South Africa and extradited to Mozambique. Anibalzinho, who led the death squad, was tried in absentia while he was still on the run and received a twenty-eight years prison sentence. His co-accused were each sentenced to at least twenty-three years in jail. Cardoso was gunned down in a Maputo suburb while probing the disappearance of US$14 million in privatisation funds from the Commercial Bank of Mozambique.

The Africa Women's Peace Train was launched in Kampala, Uganda, on 15 August in a ceremony in which a Peace Torch was received. It was destined to run through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana and finally to South Africa - Johannesburg, in time for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) on 25 August 2002. The train, leaving Kampala on 16 August, was made up of women from across Africa who wanted to raise awareness around the impact of civil wars, corruption and genocide, which was taking place in countries across the continent. The women aimed to organise protest marches wherever there were major conferences in order to highlight the plight of many African countries. In Johannesburg, they were going to protest against world leaders attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development also involved in shady business deals, sponsoring guerrilla leaders, and arms trading in Africa. Women wanted to show world leaders that they want peace and stability for their children and future generations. They therefore called upon world leaders to take action against perpetrators of these horrendous deeds and to end them immediately.

The Protected Disclosures Act, no 26 of 2000, providing protection of employees against occupational detriment as a result of having disclosed irregular conduct in their workplace, came into action on this date.

President Thabo Mbeki unveiled the Women's Monument at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The aim of the monument was to commemorate the role of women in the struggle and marked the 44th anniversary of the march of 20 000 women to the Union Buildings. The celebration and commemoration included the unveiling of the monument dedicated to the 1956 march and portraits of some of the women who led that march. The portraits included those of Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Raheema Moosa and Sophie De Bruin. Some of the survivors of the march were present to witness a symbolic victory of their struggle. Earlier on there was a march to the Union Buildings led by Ms Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and the veterans of the 1956 march. The monument was executed jointly by sculptor Wilma Cruise and architect Marcus Holmes.

The Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA) was the underground military wing of the Pan African Congress (PAC). APLA was formed in the 1960s, after the banning of the PAC and other political organisations such as the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). APLA supported the PAC ideology of iZwe ngelethu, "Africa is Ours", and Mayibuye iAfrika, "Bring back Africa". APLA was associated with attacks on and murders of White South Africans. Most of these murders and attacks reportedly took place in the Eastern and Western Cape. According to the evidence of APLA victims before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) most of these attacks and murders were random acts of violence and were not politically motivated. During the 1980s APLA came up with the provocative slogan of "One Settler, One Bullet". Killings and attacks on White farmers were believed to be motivated by this slogan. On 26 July 1993 members of APLA opened fire on a congregation in St James Church in Kenilworth, in Cape Town, killing eleven people and injuring fifty others. The disbanding of APLA followed the TRC conclusion that the group had often acted with hatred rather than justice. Soon after these TRC findings APLA disbanded.

President Nelson Mandela delivered his last major address to parliament at the opening of the ultimate session of the first democratically elected parliament.

Allan Boesak graduated from the Belville Theological Seminary and worked as a pastor in Paarl between 1967 and 1970. After received his PhD from a university in New York, he led a parish in Belville South. Boesak rose to prominence when he became the head of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in 1982. He used this platform to speak out against the policies of the apartheid government. Boesak was also instrumental in establishing the United Democratic Front (UDF), which was one of the largest anti-apartheid movements in South Africa. Although praised for his role in the liberation struggle, Boesak's political career has been marred by controversy. This first incident was in 1990, when he was forced to resign from the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) after having had an extra-marital affair with a white employee of the South African Council of Churches. He later divorced his wife to marry television presenter, Elna Botha. Thereafter, it surfaced that Boesak misappropriated funds that were allocated to his Foundation of Peace and Justice. He had received a million dollar donation from the Danish aid agency Dan Church Aid, half of which he had taken for his own use. Other donations from the Coca Cola Company and singer Paul Simon were also thought to have been taken for Boesak's personal use. At the time that these allegations were made, Boesak was the ANC Western Cape president and the impending South African ambassador to the United Nations. Boesak was charged with fraud and his trial began in 1998. On 18 December, a plea from the defense team was made for his acquittal. The presiding judge rejected this plea and postponed the case to the following year. Boesak was finally convicted on four counts of fraud and was sentenced to prison in 1999. In 2005, he received a presidential pardon and his criminal record was expunged. Boesak has since written a book on his experiences as a political activist titled Running with Horses: Reflections of an Accidental Politician.