Staff Reporter
There are growing concerns that the illegal trade in life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) drugs could be rife in the goldfields area after a Welkom man appeared in court this week facing a charge of illegal possession of drugs.
Several other people, including health officials, were arrested in the area earlier this year.
Tseko Sehloho, 32, appeared in the Welkom Magistrates Court on Monday after he was found with a large quantity of the ARV drugs in the gold mining town’s central business district which he could not account for.
In a statement, police said officers from the Welkom Flying Squad received information last Thursday about a suspicious man carrying a black plastic bag standing in front of Matjhabeng Local Municipality offices.
“Members followed information and when the identified person saw the police coming towards his direction he fled on foot,” said the police.
“Members gave chase and managed to arrest him. The police found 36 containers of Atroiza (ARVs) worth R18 000 in his possession,” added the statement.
He was immediately arrested and he also faces a charge of failing to confine to his residence as stipulated in the lockdown regulations imposed under the Disaster Management Act.
Earlier this year, Free State police were said to be trying to establish the market and key players in what could be a syndicate believed to be channelling antiretroviral drugs from the public health system and selling them on the black market.
There were three successful busts in the first two months of this year in which health officials believed to be stealing the drugs and selling them to private individuals were nabbed and charged with contravening the Medicines and Related Substances Act.
The underhand business, which has been roundly criticised by the provincial health department, is believed to be fast becoming lucrative and could be worth billions of rands.
There are suggestions that illegal gold miners or zamazamas, who spend long periods of time underground in disused mines, could be one possible market as they are believed to be cash-rich.
They risk their lives through unhealthy living conditions and risky sexual behaviour resulting in most of them falling ill while working underground but are reluctant to come out and seek medical treatment, hence they resort to stolen medication including ARVs.
Fingers have also been pointed at private health practitioners who sell the drugs to their patients as another possible illicit market.
People who do not want to use the public health system where the drugs are issued for free are said to rely on the stolen ARVs as well.
There are over seven million people on ARVs in South Africa and the Free State has about 285 000.