A Limpopo human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activist says it’s important to break the stigma and promote equal access to treatment for people with HIV.
Thovhowani Makondo, widely known as ‘Queen Beyonce’, from Ha-Khakhu village outside Louis Trichardt, has been living with HIV since 2014.
Makondo has gone public about his status to dispel the stigmatisation.
He says that his sexual orientation, resulted in his family members distancing themselves from him.
He is a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex- plus (LGBTQI) community.
Makondo says his resilience has shaped his journey.
“My sexuality stigma affected me a lot. Where I come from it’s a rural area, so they don’t understand LGBTQIA+ it was not easy for me and they couldn’t accept me. Some people were saying I’m cursed, some saying I was bewitched but I did not decide to be this way, I was born like this. The stigma around the community was very bad because I was judged, I was insulted and called names, it also affected me mentally, I even left school because of bullying,” says Makondo.
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Meanwhile, a businesswoman who has been supporting the activist, Fulufhedzani Ligege, says everyone deserves to be treated equally despite their health status or sexuality.
“I’m proud to be a mother, I take her as one of my children. Whenever she’s hungry she comes here and we provide her with what she needs. She keeps coming around meaning that she feels at home and safe. To me, she’s not a burden because I know she’s a hard worker and whenever she has money, she’ll never buy anywhere else, she’ll buy from us to show that she supports our business as well,” says Ligege.
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