CAPE TOWN, Oct 13 (Reuters) - South Africa's Health Minister said on Monday Thabo Mbeki's government wasted time in fighting HIV/AIDS and vowed to step up efforts after years of controversy when her predecessor advocated beetroot and garlic as treatment. South Africa, which has one of the world's heaviest HIV caseloads, has been accused by activists of dragging its feet in dealing with the disease which kills an estimated 1,000 people every day. Barbara Hogan in September replaced Manto Tshabalala-Msimang when President Kgalema Motlanthe took over from Mbeki as head of state and formed a new cabinet. The comments on Monday were her most critical yet of the Mbeki government's stance on HIV. "... It was imperative to get ahead of the curve of this epidemic ten years ago. We all, for various reasons, have lost ground," Hogan told the opening ceremony of an AIDS Vaccine conference in Cape Town. "We also wasted time despite having one of the best plans to cope with the epidemic," she said, adding South Africa must now show more urgency in implementing a national programme launched last year to fight HIV/AIDS.