Later that evening our delegation dined at Hill House, as the residence of the U.S. Ambassador is known. Joining us for dinner were members of USAID, CDC in-country teams and their South African government counterparts who are responsible for HIV/AIDS and other health related programs. These individuals included Dr. Sono Simelela, HIV/AIDS and TB director, Department of Health, SA; Dr. Ayanda Ntsaluba, director general, Department of Health; Tim Tucker, director, South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Medical Research Council; Dr. David Allen, director of CDC, South Africa; Dr. John Crowley, health development officer, USAID, and others.

At our last stop in South Africa, we participated in a breakfast meeting of the Business Roundtable. Co-hosted by Johann Evertse of Daimler Chrysler, Johan Strydom of the Ford Motor Company, and Dr. Brian Brink of the gold mining company Anglo-American, the meeting was convened to discuss the role of businesses in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. More than twenty-five local business owners participated in the meeting, with several companies comparing and contrasting their efforts to address HIV/AIDS among employees. The strategies ranged from in-house educational programs, to medical services and support for more comprehensive insurance programs, to collaborative community medical services. During the breakfast, each of the businesses echoed the sentiment that big business has a clear and immediate role—to help obtain funds for partnerships that create access to care. There is a need to think about upgrading the infrastructure, and big business has the experience to do that.