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KHOPOTSO: It was not a party but the students came in large numbers and filled the Senate Room on the second floor of the uiversity administration block. Perhaps the draw-card was Fana Khaba, the Gauteng youth station, YFM DJ, popularly known as Khabzela. He was making his first public appearance after disclosing his HIV status on the airwaves   some three months ago. Khabzela shocked the packed auditorium into silence and disbelief when he posed the following challenge:

KHABZELA: ‘€œI want to dare you guys’€¦ Be brave and raise your hand if you’€™re HIV positive.’€

KHOPOTSO: Only five hands went up at the very far end of the room. None of those hands belonged to the students. One belonged to Pholokgolo Ramothwala is the Gauteng co-ordinator of the Treatment Action Campaign.

KHABZELA: Everywhere there is HIV and I got it while I was still a student. I was 20 years when I got HIV’€¦ As I speak I understand that there is five million of us ‘€“ people living with HIV. And today only five people raised their hands when you said that how many people have got HIV in here. Then, maybe the question that people must ask themselves is whether they know their HIV status and whether they’€™re intending to find out about their status.’€

KHOPOTSO: Mark Haywood, national Treasurer of the Treatment Action Campaign was also one of the invited guests.

HAYWOOD: Comrade Khabzela asked how many people in this room have HIV. And the people who put up their hands ‘€“ I know everyone of them. It’€™s people like Prudence Mabele who was also a student when she found out she had HIV. The real question to ask is how many people in this room have sex’€¦ (roars of laughter) ‘€¦ Are you shy? I won’€™t force you to answer that question. I won’€™t force you to answer that question. But that’€™s the real question because if you have sex you are placing yourself at risk of HIV infection ‘€“ if you have sex that is unsafe, that is, unprotected sex. The other question we would also ask is: how many people in this room know your HIV status. You can put your hands up if you want. How many people have been for an HIV test? A minority of people.’€

KHOPOTSO: That minority was 1, 2, 3, ‘€¦ fewer than 20 people  in the auditorium. Haywood’€™s point served to demonstrate that in the context of the AIDS epidemic it is a responsibility to have sex safely as well as to know one’€™s HIV status. He urged the students on a three point course of action:

HAYWOOD: Know your own HIV status: go for a test; get proper counselling; encourage your friends to do the same. Next thing: help us to de-stigmatise HIV. The reason only five people put up their hands is not because only five people in this room know they have HIV. There are other people in this room who live with HIV. But they’€™re afraid of you’€¦ Because you still create a climate that makes people scared ‘€¦ And the third thing I want to say is hopefully we are about to start proper treatment for people with HIV. You heard the government announce that a week ago. We have to trust that. We have to believe that and we’€™ve got to make it work.’€                                    

KHOPOTSO: Thato Qwetha is a member of the Positive AIDS Wits programme. I asked her what the plan was with the campaign.

QWETHA: As much as we’€™re telling people to prevent themselves, we’€™re also saying it’€™s not the end of the world when you have HIV. You can live longer’€¦ For us to bring the people was to show that there are people who are still living healthily and who have lived for long. So, we’€™re saying to people who are HIV positive that they should come out. They should know how to live healthy. They should know how they could prolong their lives. But, on the other hand, we’€™re also saying t the people who are not that they should keep it like that.’€