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KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane warns that stopping ARVs for faith reasons puts lives at risk and that medication saves lives
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has called for legal steps to be taken against anyone who is spreading misinformation that people should stop taking anti-retroviral (ARV) medicine to suppress HIV, and to rather rely on their faith.
She was speaking at a church outreach event, over the Easter weekend.
Simelane reacted to reports about practices at the Ekhaya Labafundi bakaJehova congregation at KwaMaphumulo north of Durban.
WATCH | More than 50 people have left their families, jobs and, in some cases, medical treatment to join Ekhaya Labafundi bakaJehova in KwaMaphumulo, north of Durban. The founder says they are a holy nation. pic.twitter.com/ew2wjE976Q
— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 2, 2026
Congregants are required to leave all worldly things behind, including their jobs and cellphones for a life in service of God.
The leader, Vusumuzi Sibiya, has described schooling and medical treatment as worldly things. One of the congregants told SABC News she has stopped taking ARVs.
More than 50 people have left their families, jobs, and in some cases medical treatment to join Ekhaya Labafundi bakaJehova in KwaMaphumulo, north of Durban. pic.twitter.com/ubuKy9aQbp
— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 1, 2026
MEC Simelane says encouraging people to stop taking ARV’s is condemning them to a slow death.
“We are talking about people who takes medication for chronic diseases such as diabetes and TB. Some of them stop taking their medication on public holidays. That’s not a good idea. There should not be a public holiday for taking medication. We should not stop taking medicine because these medicines prolong people’s lives. When you reduce the number of days of taking medicine, that means you are also reducing your days of living,” says Simelane.
RELATED VIDEO | Secluded religious community in KwaMaphumulo – cut off from the world – redefining ‘devotion to God’
