Bongekile Simelane -Spong found out at 19 that she had full blown AIDS after suddenly falling ill. Manoeuvring through young adulthood at high school was tricky she admits. “On my 22nd birthday, while driving home from dinner, my then boyfriend suddenly flipped and called me a murderer who was going to infect and kill him with my HIV. He kicked me out of the car and left me in the middle of nowhere,” she says. Now engaged to the love of her life Mandla Maphumulo, the 23 year old says the biggest scare about living with HIV is wondering how your body will handle growing old with HIV. “Chances of having cervical cancer are 50% more for HIV-positive women. I panic each time I get sick.” Despite that and a history of being sexually molested by her uncle in her childhood, Phindile maintains a positive attitude and plans on having children of her own in the future.
Share :
