The audio is in isiZulu. See the English summary below.

MABUTHO: Naphezu kokuba sekunesikhathi eside likhona igciwane leHIV futhi kukhulunywa mihla namalanga ngokubaluleka kokuzihlolela leligciwane, kepha kunabantu abancamela ukufa kunokuyozihlolela igciwane le HIV. Umama Pretty Tlakula ungowokudabuka eNewcastle KwaZulu-Natal. Njengamanje uhlala eTzaneen esifundazweni saseLimpopo. Ekhaya lakhe uhlala nezingane ezingu 7 iningi lazo okuyizingane ezashonelwa ngabazali bazo ngenxa yegciwane le HIV. Phakathi kwazo lezingane kukhona naleyo kadadewabo naye ongasekho. UTlakula uthi okumphatha kabi ngokushona kukadadewabo ukuthi nakuba ukugula kwakhe kwakusolisa ukuthi kuhambisana negciwane le HIV wayengafuni ukuyozihlolela igciwane.

PRETTY TLAKULA: Wayesuka abe nolaka ke yena uma ngithi why singayi ukuyotesta. Kwathi noma esezoshona ngoba wahamba waya eNatal nomama wamcela ukuba ahambe ayotesta nakhona akazange avume kwamcindezela ukugula. Uma esehamba eseyotesta leliviki okwakufanele kuphume ngalo amaresults ileliviki ashona ngalo.

MABUTHO: UTlakula uthi ubona ukuthi isizathu sokuthi udadewabo ancamele ukufa kunokuthi ayohlolelwa igciwane leHIV kungenxa yokuthi wayesaba ukuthi imiphumela izobonisa ukuthi unalo igciwane.

PRETTY TLAKULA: Ngibona sengathi yiyo inkinga yokufana nalaba abanye abantu abathi bayesaba ukwazi. Uma ngibhekile yikho lokho kanti kuyabulala ngoba ngibona sengathi abantu abaningi abazivezayo bayakhona ukusinda.

MABUTHO: Okuqaphelekayo ukuthi abanye abantu bancamela ukuhlala baze bagule kakhulu ngaphambi kokuba baye kozihlolela igciwane ngenxa yokwesaba. Umama uThandazile Dlamini waseNanda, eThekwini esifundazweni saKwaZulu-Natal washonelwa ngamadodakazi akhe amabili elandelana ngo 2001 ngenxa yalo igciwane le HIV. Njengamanje uhlala nabazukulu bakhe ababili abashiywa ilamadodakazi akhe. Ngeshwa omunye umzukulu wakhe ozalwa indodakazi yakhe endala uSindisiwe unegciwane le HIV ngenxa yokuthi waze washona engazihlolelanga ukuthi inalo igciwane futhi engasho nokuthi iguliswa yini.

THANDAZILE DLAMINI : Akashongo ukuthi kungani ngamusa esibhedlela eMahatma Ghandi bafika esibhedlela eMahatma Ghandi bambuyisa wase eyashona ke. Emva kwakhe kwahlabeka lona omunye udadewabo naye waze washona.

MABUTHO: UHerbet Bholotini usebenza njenge HIV/AIDS counselor eNdlovu Medical Centre esifundazweni saseLimpopo. UHerbert uke wagula isikhathi eside engafuni ukuyozihlolela igciwane. Kuthe lapho esehamba ukuyozihlola ukuthi unalo yini igciwane wathola ukuthi iCD4 count yakhe yabe seyehle kakhulu njengoba yabe seyingu 6. Ngenhlanhla yakhe wasinda, kumanje udla ama ARVs. Uthi kufanele abantu bazi ukuthi kubalulekile ukuzihlolela igciwane kusenesikhathi kunokuthi baye kozihlola sebegula kakhulu ngoba mancane amathuba okuphila uma sekunjalo.

HEBERT BHOLOTINI: Into engingayisho ukuthi uma uhlezi ekhaya for instance njengoba kufundiswa kuma radio nge HIV, namaphepha naku TV nakhona kuyakhulunywa nge HIV zibuze ke wena ukuthi ‘€˜ngime kuphi mina njengoba zikhulunywa lezizinto’€™?. Abantu banokuzikhohlisa ngokuthi ‘€˜I am still healthy ngizoya esibhedlela masengigula’€™. I HIV idestroya iimmune system slowly. When you get sick it’€™s whereby uzothola ukuthi iCD4 count yakho ithi 6. Mhlawumbe uyoba ilowo esingasakwazi ukumsiza. Take action. , Zibuze ukuthi wena umi kuphi,  ngoba uke ubone umuntu ehlezi ekhaya evela isilonda kuma private parts but alokhu ethi maar akusiyona lento. Umuntu njalo uphila ngama doubts, but if utestile uyazi ukuthi uma une infection iCD4 count yakho iyadropha. Than you can take action ubonane nodokotela masinyane.

MABUTHO:   Okuqaphelekayo ukuthi nalabo abayayo ukuyozihlolela igciwane le HIV baphinde baphumele obala babhekana nobunzima emiphakathini abaphila kuyona. UMelikhaya Phumela (25) waseKhayelitsha eNtshonalanga Kapa usanda kuzithola ukuthi unegciwane le HIV. UMelikhaya uye kozihlola emva kokuthola ukuthi intombi yakhe abethandana nayo uThembi Ngubane unegciwane le HIV. Njengamanje bobabili baphumele obala baqwashisa intsha ngobungozi begciwane le HIV. Uthi nakuba ebagqugquzela abantu ukuthi bahambe baye kozihlola ukuze bezohlala bezazi uthi kodwa ngezinye izikhathi kukhona izinto ezenza ukuthi kungabi into enhle ukuzazi ukuthi unegciwane le HIV.

MELIKHAYA PHUMELA:   Akukho mnandi ukuphila negciwane le HIV because the rest of your life uzovwa kuthethwa nge HIV/AIDS, then leyantoo iyakudla ngaphakathi. Akukho mnandi. Sometimes uma abanye besibona (noThembi) sihamba estratweni bayasikhombakhomba bathi naba abantu abane AIDS, everday. Kepha siziqhelile into ezinjalo ngoba kasicingi ngohlobo olufanayo. Omunye ucinga ngoluhlobo, omunye ucinga ngaloluyahlobo.

MABUTHO: UDr Gillian Tarr we  ACTS Clinic (AIDS Care Training and Support Initiative) esifundazweni sase Mpumalanga  uthi ubona ukuthi lenkinga yokusaba kwabantu ukuhlolela igciwane leHIV ingaqedwa ngokuthi kugqugquzelwe wonke umuntu wakuleli ukuba ahambe ayozihlolela igciwane. Uthi asikho isidingo sokuthi abantu balinde baze bagule ngaphambi kokuba bazihlolele igciwane le HIV.

DR GILLIAN TARR: I think the first challenge is to really encourage all South Africans to have their HIV test because I think that is an entry point. Everybody needs to know where they stand because there are a lot of interventions that can keep people healthy. The earlier you have the test, the better. We really do not want to wait until people are dying.

MABUTHO: Naphezu kwemikhankankaso kahulumeni kanye nezinhlangano ezingekho ngaphansi kukahulumeni ukugqugquzela abantu ukuba bayozihlola kubukeka sengathi kusazothatha isikhathi kwabanye ukukwenza lokho. Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi abanye abantu bathatha igciwane njengesigwebo sentambo kanti kukhona nokwesabela ukucwaseka emiphakathini abaphila kuyona.  

See the English summary

Some prefer death over testing

Despite long-running AIDS awareness campaigns by the government, non-governmental organizations and other civil society groupings, a great number of people still prefer to die a silent death than to go for an HIV test.

Pretty Tlakula is originally from Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, and is now living in Tzaneen, Limpopo, with her husband. She looks after seven children, the majority of whom are AIDS orphans. Among these, is her late sister’€™s child. Tlakula says it always saddened her that her late sister kept on refusing to go for an HIV test. Tlakula says she had suspected that her sister’€™s illness was AIDS-related.

‘€œShe used to be very angry when I asked her, ‘€˜why can’€™t we go for HIV test’€™? After some time she then went to Natal to stay with our mother. Again, she refused when mother asked her to go for an HIV test. When she agreed to go for an HIV test it was too late. She passed away the day she got her results’€, said Tlakula.

Tlakula believes that the reason behind her sister’€™s behavior is because of the negative stigma attached to HIV/AIDS.

‘€œI think she was like those who say they are ‘€˜scared to know their status’€™. Denial does not help. I have noticed that those who reveal their status do survive’€.

Thandazile Dlamini (75) of Nanda, north of Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal province lost two daughters in 2001. She now stays with her two grandchildren ‘€“ off-springs of her late daughters. The one child belonging to her late elder daughter, Sindisiwe, is HIV-positive. It is believed that the late woman may have passed on the virus to her son. Dlamini’€™s daughter, Sindisiwe, was ill and she went to her grave with a secret. Her younger daughter was to later do the same.  

‘€œShe did not say what she was suffering from. I took her to Mahatma Ghandi hospital, where she was discharged and later passed away. Then, her sister got sick for a short time and subsequently died.

Herbert Bholotini is an HIV/AIDS counselor at Ndlovu Medical Centre, in Limpopo. At one stage Herbert was seriously ill and refused to go for an HIV test. When he eventually went for a test his CD4 count was only six. However, he survived and is now on ARVs. He says people should know that it is important to go for an HIV test in time, than when they are already seriously ill because chances of survival are less.

‘€œThe message about HIV/AIDS is everywhere on radio, TV and in the newspapers. Therefore, you need to ask yourself, ‘€˜where I am as far as HIV/AIDS is concerned’€™? I know some people tend to bluff themselves saying ‘€˜I am still healthy. I will only go to the hospital when I am ill’€™. HIV destroys the immune system slowly. When you get sick, it is whereby you will find out that your CD4 count is six. Maybe you will be the one whom we cannot help. Therefore, take action right now. There are people who have infections in their private parts who keep on lying to themselves by saying ‘€˜but it’€™s not HIV’€™. Such people are living with doubt but if you have gone for a test, you know that if you have the infection your CD4 count will drop. Then you can take necessary action,’€ said the outspoken Bholotini.

Pretty Tlakula is originally from Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, and is now living in Tzaneen, Limpopo, with her husband. She looks after seven children, the majority of whom are AIDS orphans. Among these, is her late sister’€™s child. Tlakula says it always saddened her that her late sister kept on refusing to go for an HIV test. Tlakula says she had suspected that her sister’€™s illness was AIDS-related.

‘€œShe used to be very angry when I asked her, ‘€˜why can’€™t we go for HIV test’€™? After some time she then went to Natal to stay with our mother. Again, she refused when mother asked her to go for an HIV test. When she agreed to go for an HIV test it was too late. She passed away the day she got her results’€, said Tlakula.

Tlakula believes that the reason behind her sister’€™s behavior is because of the negative stigma attached to HIV/AIDS.

‘€œI think she was like those who say they are ‘€˜scared to know their status’€™. Denial does not help. I have noticed that those who reveal their status do survive’€.

Thandazile Dlamini (75) of Nanda, north of Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal province lost two daughters in 2001. She now stays with her two grandchildren ‘€“ off-springs of her late daughters. The one child belonging to her late elder daughter, Sindisiwe, is HIV-positive. It is believed that the late woman may have passed on the virus to her son. Dlamini’€™s daughter, Sindisiwe, was ill and she went to her grave with a secret. Her younger daughter was to later do the same.  

‘€œShe did not say what she was suffering from. I took her to Mahatma Ghandi hospital, where she was discharged and later passed away. Then, her sister got sick for a short time and subsequently died.

Herbert Bholotini is an HIV/AIDS counselor at Ndlovu Medical Centre, in Limpopo. At one stage Herbert was seriously ill and refused to go for an HIV test. When he eventually went for a test his CD4 count was only six. However, he survived and is now on ARVs. He says people should know that it is important to go for an HIV test in time, than when they are already seriously ill because chances of survival are less.

‘€œThe message about HIV/AIDS is everywhere on radio, TV and in the newspapers. Therefore, you need to ask yourself, ‘€˜where I am as far as HIV/AIDS is concerned’€™? I know some people tend to bluff themselves saying ‘€˜I am still healthy. I will only go to the hospital when I am ill’€™. HIV destroys the immune system slowly. When you get sick, it is whereby you will find out that your CD4 count is six. Maybe you will be the one whom we cannot help. Therefore, take action right now. There are people who have infections in their private parts who keep on lying to themselves by saying ‘€˜but it’€™s not HIV’€™. Such people are living with doubt but if you have gone for a test, you know that if you have the infection your CD4 count will drop. Then you can take necessary action,’€ said the outspoken Bholotini.