The chairman of the Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS on Thursday contested reports that the organization has undergone a split.
The state-controlled Herald newspaper said former opposition member of parliament and labor activist Munyaradzi Gwisai and Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe General Secretary Raymond Majongwe have formed a breakaway group.
The report followed a protest outside the National AIDS Council and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe early this month, led by Gwisai and Majongwe, demanding equal treatment and care for teachers and other workers living with HIV/AIDS.
Gwisai could not be reached for comment, but Majongwe told reporter Carole Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that his union had no intention of interfering, but would fight for the rights of teachers living with HIV/AIDS.
National AIDS Network Chairman Benjamin Mazhindu, who has come under fire from dissenters in the association, said he is troubled by the actions of Majongwe and Gwisai, who he said have sought to influence some members of the group.