John is an HIV activist in his village of Dzumeri, 40km southeast of Giyani. He first tested for HIV in 2004.
While the thought of living with HIV was not what he had hoped to hear from the health care worker when he eagerly awaited for his results, the test came out positive.The first thing in his mind was how he was going to break the news to his lovely wife.
After a few days told his wife that he had tested positive for HIV. To him he had done what he thought was the right thing to do but this became a nightmare as his wife left him.
He says the most difficult thing was not his HIV diagnosis but the loneliness during his first few years of living with the virus.
Good news is that he later met someone who not only accepted his status but supported him as her husband. So if you thought that being HIV positive is the end of the world think again.
Listen to John Mathebula’s story on Munghana Lonene’s Brothers for Life series, Brothers are Talking.