Bonginkosi’s story

This is a story written by a 7th grade student at Ezulwini Catholic Primary School.  He was asked to write a story about his life.  It puts my life back into perspective.

 

 

HIV is a virus that causes AIDS. AIDS is a dangerous disease that can affect everyone. This disease is a fatal disease but can be controlled.

                AIDS affects black people and white people. It affects poor or rich people, fat or thin people. It affects you whether you are a Christian, Swazi, Zulu, Xhosas, Hindus, Rastafarians, Muslim, Mozambican, Sothos or Tswana.

                AIDS affects me as well my auntie, who was working in Matsapha Spinex Factory. She was a likeable woman and honest. She use to help poor children in the community by paying their school fees, buying food and clothes for them. Everyone in the community used to respect her.

                She was the person who was looking after my grandfather and my grandmother the most. My father looked after my grandfather and grandmother but not as much as my auntie. My uncle did look after them but not all the time, like my auntie use to. She was the most important person to my grandparents.

                She used to have more than one boyfriend and she did not use to use a condom when she was having sex with her boyfriends. On nights she used to leave home with her boyfriends to big hotels which are too expensive. On weekends she used to visit one of her boyfriends.

                One day she became sick and just got sicker and sicker. She did not know what was making her to be sick. She visited the clinic many times but she became sicker and sicker. Than my grandparents sent her to a traditional doctor. He gave her some medicine and said she must find a boy who will cut her with a razor blade and put the medicine in her. They chose me as the boy. I did it but I did not like it. She became better for a week but then her sickness returned and I became sick as well. She and I visited the health center for check- up. We found that we were both HIV positive. They counseled us and they gave us some tablets and I take them even today.

                When I heard that I was positive, I was afraid. I was thinking that I was going to die, I cried and cried. But they told me that I would not die. After that my auntie became sick and got sicker again and she died. But me I am healthy and I am alive and life goes on.

                So AIDS kills. It kills our parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, sisters and brothers. But life still goes on.

 

               

*Bonginkosi – (Bong-ko-zee) The “in” is almost silent.

*Zulu, Xhosa(click-osa), Tswane (tis-wa-na), Sothos (Sue-toos)- different tribes in South Africa.

*Matsapha Spinex Factory- Matsapha (Mot-sa-pa)  is a town and the Spinex Factory is where she worked.

*AIDS can only be prolonged, not controlled. They give out free ARVs, but their immune system failing is inevitable.