Wafa Msebenzi
What do you say when one of your colleagues tells you he is HIV positive? What do you do? Once I was faced by a man – a friend of mine – who opened up his sour heart about his status.
I scratched my head, my throat turned dry and my lips white as if I was hungry, choked – nothing came out of my mouth. In front of me, stood a man who needed my consolation. Wow, what if it was me……
At this time it is not easy to start a relationship out of the blue, especially with a stranger. It is not wise any more to show off to friends how many girls you can take to bed or how many men can take you to Foschini.
But if you cannot fight this temptation of staying with one woman or man, condom is the only option for your taste.
HIV/Aids is giving us no choice, it is either monogamy or condom or no sex at all.Full hospitals and every weekend funerals of people with Aids is the real picture of this deadly disease.
It is said every person you see is positive until tested negative, which is why it is important to know your status. Do you?
Some people don’t take chances with their lives.One girl once asked her new boyfriend before going to a bedroom conference to produce his blood test certificate.
Gender HIV/Aids
Congratulations to Christine Olivier from Western Cape, Gloria Buthelezi from KZN, Maki Lebakeng from Wits Central West, Frenny Ranamane from Hlanganani and Maria Bogatha from Ekurhuleni. These comrades were elected in the last Numsa national gender meeting which took place on February 18-20. Regions must implement the national programme adopted at the meeting and submit progress reports as agreed.
The brother was frightened and worried by this. He doubted his status because he had deflowered so many virgins, but he wanted the conference with the round fit girl.
Man is always creative when it comes to sleeping with a girl. He disappeared for weeks without a trace – no more phone calls, no visits – the girl thought she had chased him away.
He emerged, glowing, back with a fake blood test certificate and the girl was happy. The brother was smiling, hand in hand with his sweetheart to the bedroom. He confessed to the fake certificate after five years on their wedding day.
All these avenues that one should take from preventing himself/herself from becoming an Aids statistic need real commitment. It is still difficult to stay regular with condoms, just like medication.
Our hearts lie. In a new relationship after some months together of kissing and hugging, trust begins to take charge and condoms are thrown away without knowing whether one is positive.
Sometimes in stable relationships, one partner ventures out to have a sexual relationship with someone else and brings the disease home.
This affects us all, your home, your community, your province and the economy of our beautiful South Africa. Daily a worker dies, one muscle of our workforce goes down.
Aids holds more serious implications for the economy than any other disease. It is obvious that healthy workers can work hard and be more productive. And this disease primarily affects adults in their most economically productive years and affects the elite and well educated as well, which robs the already weak economy of our country.
And if our economy keeps on falling, then we are faced with danger and we have to hold our horses and watch ourselves Basebenzi!