Production came to a halt at Matla Coal recently as employees queued at testing stations to determine their HIV status. Led by their management teams, supported by union representatives and assisted by medical staff and peer educators, 78% of Matla’s 1 644 employees and contractors were tested a voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) drive. This was a vast improvement on a similar drive two years ago when only 22% of employees signed up to be tested.

This excellent result reflects the total commitment of peer educators and staff who ensured all shifts were covered, venues prepared and testing ran smoothly.