Patricia de Lille, a long-standing member of parliament and the leader of the newly-formed Independent Democrats party, threw down the gauntlet to Mbeki, saying he needed to set an example to encourage South Africans to undergo similar tests.

De Lille said South Africa was turning a blind eye to the AIDS crisis as she launched a "Know Your Status" drive at a major Johannesburg hospital.

"The reason I am taking the test is because we are 10 years behind from the rest of the world in terms of fighting the AIDS pandemic and are still in denial," de Lille was quoted by the SAPA news agency as saying.

"South Africa is in a denial phase, including business and community-based organisations. The stigma attached to the diseases is contributing to this state of affairs."

De Lille, a veteran trade union leader whose party is expected to pick up less than five percent of the vote, said Mbeki needed to make a personal stand to combat AIDS and HIV, affecting one in nine South Africans.

"President Mbeki must illustrate by testing -- even if he does this privately -- and positive spin-offs may come out of that demonstration," she said.

"Research has shown that those countries whose political leaders have driven the HIV strategy have met the greatest success of reducing infection rates," the feisty leader said.

The UNAIDS agency estimates that South Africa had 5.3 million people infected with HIV and AIDS at the end of 2002 -- the highest ratio in the world.

South Africa's cabinet approved in November the outline of a plan to provide anti-retroviral drugs for those infected with HIV/AIDS after the government lost several court battles with lobby groups seeking free treatment for all sufferers.

The government has started to roll out AIDS treatment in three provinces in the country, but the lobby groups have said more needs to be done to treat the infected.

De Lille said South Africans could take preventive measures and save their lives if they tested for AIDS immediately, adding that many discovered they had the HIV virus when they were hospitalised for a different infection.

"It is often too late because their immune systems are already too weak to bounce back," she said. "Once one knows their status early, they can go for treatment and change their lifestyle."

Mbeki's spokesman dismissed de Lille's challenge as an election gimmick.

"We are not interested in responding to these silly shenanigans by Patricia de Lille. These are not meant for nothing other than attracting votes," presidential spokesman Bheki Khumalo said.

TERRA.WIRE