PR Newswire, London, July 22. This press release is distributed on behalf of Metropolitan and SABCOHA .

Johannesburg - For more than a decade, Metropolitan has been the leader in providing South African business with accurate and cutting-edge information on HIV and AIDS.

In 1999, Metropolitan launched its www.redribbon.co.za website, which quickly gained a reputation as the leading HIV/AIDS on-line information resource centre for the private sector and public alike. Recognising the fact that the only true weapon in the fight against AIDS is information, Metropolitan set about turning passive information into real action - and that's what the new RedRibbon is all about.

Metropolitan AIDS Research Unit, the owner of RedRibbon, together with the Virtual Services Group, have turned the website into a fully-fledged portal by adding other professionals into the content mix, thereby ensuring diverse specialised advice and knowledge.

Visitors start the journey at the front door of RedRibbon, which immediately offers a choice of fully-fledged websites, each with its own AIDS focus and identity. Various partners have joined forces with Metropolitan, the most important being SABCOHA (The South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS) which is a full portal partner. Nearly 20 major South African companies have formed this coalition to unite their efforts in the fight against AIDS.

Clem Sunter, a SABCOHA Board Member said: "When forming SABCOHA, our objective was to mobilise and empower South African business into taking effective action on HIV/AIDS in the workplace and society at large. In order to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on sustained profitability and economic growth, we identified the need to establish a credible resource centre. Business required information pertaining to best business practices, policies, statistics, guidelines, models and resource guides to support effective decision-making and implementation of HIV/AIDS management strategies.

“We have achieved this by partnering with Metropolitan in extending RedRibbon." SABOHA has commissioned Deloitte & Touche to collate and verify the relevant information and to work in collaboration with Metropolitan. The direct site address for SABCOHA is www.sabcoha4business.com