THUNDERBIRD THE AMERICAN GRADUATE SCHOOL A10-00-0008 OF INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT AIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA PATENTS VS. PEOPLE I. Introduction Nelson Mandela was elected the first Black President of South Africa in 1994 in the initial election following the end of apartheid. Apartheid was a policy that existed in South Africa aimed at segregating society based on race, which resulted in unequal opportunities and services to the population in such key areas as education, housing, and healthcare. The Mandela government was committed to eradicat- ing these extreme differences. President Mandela appointed Dr. Nkosazana Zuma as South Africa's first Black Minister of Health. Apartheid created a two-tier healthcare system in South Africa-a highly sophisticated system for the minority White population and a less-than-adequate system for the non-White population. In addi- tion, South Africa's apartheid policies segregated not only the populations within South Africa but also led to segregation of South Africa from much of the developed world through the imposition of a trade embargo resulting from the policy. Contact with many developed nations possessing products and technology, which could have been beneficial to the South African economy, including its healthcare system, was basically unavailable due to trade embargoes levied against the South African government Authorized for use only in educational programs at Fanshawe College until Apr 23, 2022. Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation by some developed nations. Some of these products were high tech in nature and protected under intellectual property laws in their home countries. In an effort to minimize the embargo, South Africa offered high price protection for these products to entice developed nations to trade with them despite the embargo. These high prices endured and represented one of the huge obstacles that the South African government was trying to overcome in its fight against high medicine prices to combat the HIVAIDS epidemic. With the installation of the new government under President Nelson Mandela, many major changes were implemented. This required strong, activist individuals who were willing to look to the future and the needs of the population. Among this group of individuals was Dr. Zuma, a strong activist on many fronts, including combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. Before returning in 1991 from a lengthy period in exile, Dr. Zuma worked in the African National Congress' Health Department in Lusaka.? Soon after her return, she was elected as the regional chairperson for Southern Natal of the ANC Women's League. In an interview with Dr. Zuma, published in Global Dialogue, she defines her position on the HIV/AIDS issue in South Africa: Dowell, William, "Ethics and AIDS Drugs," Time, July 12, 1999. As quoted by the Staff of Institute for Global Dialogue, Global Dialogue, Volume 4, December 3, 1999. Copyright @ 2000 Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management. All rights reserved. This case was prepared by Professor Robert S. Tancer and Susan Talley, Graduate Assistant at Thunderbird, for the purpose of clawroom discussion only, and not to indicate either efective or ineffective management