Mayors of the country's most powerful municipalities have a new mantra, 90-90-90, to deal with HIV in South Africa. The 90-90-90 target, which was set by the United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids, involves municipalities ensuring that, by 2020, 90% of people living with HIV know their status, 90% living with HIV are on treatment and 90% on treatment have a suppressed viral load.This week's conference follows from the Fast-Track municipalities event in Paris in December 2014, where leaders from 29 cities across the globe committed themselves to reaching the target.Speaking on the sidelines of the three-day Fast-Track municipalities conference in Durban yesterday, Mangaung mayor Thabo Manyoni said many believed health was a national or provincial government responsibility, but it was vital that local municipalities got involved."What kind of mayor am I if I don't know which areas in my own city have the most number of infected and affected people? These are, of course, very bold targets. We still have quite a long way to go. For now, on average, we are below 60% on these targets."So we have to put our efforts into dealing with this," he said, adding that they needed to focus on universities and areas with high drug and alcohol abuse issues.eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo said the biggest cities and their elected leaders were key to dealing with the two health crises."We have to make sure we are at the forefront of the fight against HIV and TB. The indication is half of the world's population will be living in cities by 2013, which means we have to act now," he said.The mayors of the 19 municipalities yesterday signed the Paris Declaration, a pledge of their commitment to implement multi-sectoral municipal plans to reach the 90-90-90 Fast-Track targets for HIV and TB.Figures show about 3.2 million of the 6.5 million people in South Africa with HIV/Aids live in these 19 cities - and about half on ARVs live there.Eight of the country's metros - Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Mangaung, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni - are among the 19.Others include Mbombela in Mpumalanga, Mahikeng in North West, Kimberley in Northern Cape, Umhlathuze and Ulundi in KwaZulu-Natal and Emfuleni in Gauteng.Some 25 million people live in the 19 municipalities."Although the country has done much, the aim is to fast-track the 90-90-90 goals. All mayors must ensure strategic leadership and funding is given to make sure the programmes become action."We can't just be observers," said Manyoni.Dr Fareed Abdullah, CEO of the SA National Aids Council, said the country had done well when it came to the roll-out of ARVs, but there was still a "persistent problem" on new HIV infections...