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Nqobile Tshili-Bulawayo Bureau

WITH formidable courage and deeply humbling strength, Ms Sikhephi Ncube (58) thought her fate was sealed and death imminent after losing her husband to an Aids-related illness in 2002.

The first few weeks after her diagnosis were a whirlwind of fear, and her daily prayer was to live for at least five more years.

Ms Ncube said this was a harrowing time for her and her family.

“At that time, contracting HIV was like a death sentence. Despite knowing that my husband had died in 2002, it took a year for me to go to the clinic for a check-up. Even after being confirmed to be living positively, I didn’t get treatment until 2004 or early 2005,” she said.

Ms Ncube said during that time, she prayed for God to prolong her life by at least another five years so that she could see her grandson celebrate five years.

“But today, I’m happy to say my grandson is now a man and has completed A Level,” said Mrs Ncube with a chuckle.

She attributes her long life of living with HIV to Government interventions in fighting the disease and reducing infections through anti-retroviral treatment (ART), which is offered freely.

Ms Ncube is a treasurer for Siphosethu, a 13-member support group for people living with HIV in Mhlahlandlela Village in Lupane, Matabeleland North.

“I’m a widow and I lost my husband in 2002 and it was a difficult period for me. If you look at me, I’m not a young person and it was not easy for me to accept that I had contracted HIV,” she said.

 HIV and its effects are being fought successfully in Zimbabwe by reducing the infection rates through ensuring those who are infected can access the treatment they need.

These collective efforts from the Government and its partners have seen death rates being sharply reduced with fewer people being added to the pool of infected each year.

Zimbabwe has achieved its first target of 90-90-90 on HIV prevention and treatment and is now working on the 95-95-95 target for 2025.

The 90-90-90 is a concept introduced by the United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS in 2013 as an idea that by 2020, 90 percent of people who are HIV infected will be diagnosed, 90 percent of people who are diagnosed will be on antiretroviral treatment and 90 percent of those who receive antiretroviral will be virally suppressed.

Mrs Ncube is among thousands of people living with HIV, but remains positive about their lives. To her, HIV is just a condition that does not stop her from living her life to the fullest.

Her support group is now involved in several income-generating projects which even supplement her diet.

“Support groups are important and we understand each other better because we speak the same language, as we are in the same predicament. So in our support group, we are involved in horticulture projects, poultry, sewing clothes, and detergent-making projects and we recently bought goats,” said Ms Ncube.

“While we were stigmatised in the past, through these projects, we are proving that those who are not HIV positive are not so different from us.” 

Ms Ncube said in their support group, they impact skills to each other to empower themselves. “We have stokvel projects where we even buy groceries, you should come towards the end of the year. I must say contracting HIV helped open our eyes and perceive life in a more positive way.” Ms Ncube said as group members, they take turns to go and collect their medication, ensuring that they are each other’s keeper.

While Siphosethu Support Group is involved in income-generating projects, Sizenzeleni Support Group in the same district has a project to build septic tank toilets and bathrooms to enhance hygiene. They also buy each other household property.

One of the members, Mrs Mavis Luphahla, said their group started in 2014 and had 30 members at inception. She said while the group was initially established as an HIV and Aids support network, they later felt it could be an opportunity to uplift their lives.  Mrs Luphahla said they started buying and selling chickens before upgrading to goats. Other members later pulled out.

“We revived the group in 2019. As a support group, the first thing that we prioritise is our wellness. We try to find out how each and everyone of us is responding to medication because sometimes, these tablets have side effects,” she said.

“By doing so, we are also trying to prevent members from defaulting. We uplift each other as we open up on everything in the support groups.”

Mrs Luphahla said as women living with HIV they are known for building septic tank toilets and bathrooms with tubs in the village.

She said they have introduced a uniform that they wear during special events to shrug off stigmatisation. 

Another member of the group, Mrs Patricia Moyo, said their support group is so productive that even those who are HIV-negative, are now willing to join their support group.

Mrs Moyo said she contracted the virus in 2006 and ever since that time she has been on a crusade to encourage the public to be open about their status.

“I fell ill in 2006 and that is when I decided to go for HIV testing. It was not easy, but I had to follow the health advice from nurses and stick to medication. I am actually one of the founding members of Zenzeleni Support Group comprising 15 women and five men,” she said.

Acting Lupane National Aids Council district coordinator, Mr Kelvin Tshuma said HIV support groups are important as they promote adherence to medication among members.

“In terms of going as far as having income-generating projects like gardening, we are trying to look at the relationship between HIV and nutrition. It improves their nutrition and it leads to the elimination of Aids as good nutrition is important in preventing HIV from developing into full-blown Aids,” he said.

Mr Tshuma said support groups are important in promoting the emotional well-being of people living with HIV.