The figures are staggering, the suffering alarming. South Africa is being ravaged by HIV. Those most affected by it do not know where to look for help unless they have the luxury of access to private doctors, medical insurance and the convenience of a comfortable waiting room with glossy magazines.

They stand in queues. They wait in lines. Are left for dead... And small businesses, the cogs of our economy, are the most affected. South Africa needs a wake-up call. Work absenteeism, and employees not applying themselves to the work at hand are not mere textbook concepts in the halls of universities or the comfort of health conferences.