South African opposition parties and AIDS activists criticised President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday for sacking his deputy health minister, who has won widespread praise for her approach to tackling the disease.

A statement from the presidency said Mbeki, whose government has been accused of dragging its feet on AIDS treatment, had relieved Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge of her duties, effective immediately.

It was not clear why she was fired. SAfm radio reported that the presidency said Mbeki "does not have to give reasons". Officials in his office were not immediately available for comment. Madlala-Routledge declined to discuss the case.

The move raised questions about the battle against AIDS in South Africa, where an estimated 12 percent of the 47 million population is infected with HIV. About 1,000 South Africans die each day of AIDS and related diseases.

"It's an absolute disgrace," said Mike Waters, the opposition Democratic Alliance's health spokesman.

"The fact is for the first time we had a deputy minister with a clear direction in the fight against AIDS. Both the president and the minister are denialists, while the deputy minister has her feet stuck in reality."

"What it shows is that the president is a bully," Waters added. "If you agree with him you are protected but if you don't agree with him, you have got to watch your back."


SYCOPHANCY

Newspapers reported this week that Madlala-Routledge had travelled to Spain with her son and a consultant, at a cost to the taxpayer of 160,000 rand ($22,850), without seeking Mbeki's approval.

That sparked speculation she could face the axe from Mbeki, who has stuck by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang despite criticism over her AIDS policies, which advocated the use of homeopathic remedies, including garlic and beetroot, over drug treatments.

AIDS activists said they were pleased when Madlala-Routledge took a lead in the fight against AIDS after Tshabalala-Msimang was forced to take time off due to illness.

At a conference in South Africa in June, scientists and health workers said they were encouraged by the government's pledge to expand the rollout of anti-retroviral drugs and increase HIV testing.

Treatment Action Campaign, an AIDS activist group, called Mbeki's decision a "dreadful error in judgment".

"It indicates that the president still remains opposed to the science of HIV and to appropriately responding to the epidemic. We call on him to reverse his decision," the group said in a statement.

The powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), an ally of Mbeki's ruling ANC, condemned the move.

"It will deepen a culture of sycophancy in which anyone who criticises government policy, even if they are defending ANC policy, is afraid of being hung out to dry and will prefer to keep quiet and follow the leader," it said in a statement.