Delegates to the 21st International Aids conference in Durban next month will visit the Gugu Dlamini Foundation centre in Ntuzuma township, north of Durban, on a tour that has been incorporated into the event.
The first stop is at a landmark on the road where Dlamini, an HIV and Aids activist who was stoned to death by a mob after disclosing her status in 1998, was first assaulted before dying a few metres away in her house, now a mini-memorial museum.
Her 31-year-old daughter, Mandisa Dlamini, founded the centre with help from her adopted parent in Pretoria.
“Gugu’s life will be shared with the delegates. Her life will be told in the simplest form through pictures.
“A wall of fame has been installed with press cuttings showing the stories of victims, some of whom will be part of the tour to give testimony to what the centre has done to transform their lives after their sad past.
“This is about young people taking ownership of their lives,” Mandisa said.
“This is not about my mother. It is about the community surviving and seeing a ray of hope where there is none,” she added.
The centre is also used as a daycare facility.
Mandisa bears no grudges against her mother’s killers, who were never punished. She said a witness who was supposed to testify was threatened by the suspects.
“I have already forgiven them because it is about the healing process.
“Hence I run this project to stop the stigma against people taking antiretrovirals.”
Referring to the Aids conference, she said there should be less talk and more action.
“We have been doing a lot of talking in the past, now is the time for action.
“Teenagers are not benefiting much from such events (as the Aids conference). They need to be at the forefront.
“We have teenagers born with the virus which leads to multiple infections once they start engaging in sexual activities with their peers.
“Ignorance and fear play a huge part in this aspect of it - girls do not expect to be infected by their first partners. They often think it is the older men (sugar daddies) who are capable of infecting them,” she said.
“It comes as a shock when reality hits that they are infected,” Mandisa said.
On Tuesday afternoon, scores of hungry children from different schools in the area were arriving for meals.
She has three volunteers, including a cook and a teacher who helps with homework.
Foundation administrator Nomthandazo Zungu said the foundation's meals for children are sponsored by the food bank.
“When they arrive here, they are extremely hungry and have pale, sad faces, but when they leave all that has changed.
“We are happy to add that spark of happiness to their lives after what they are going through. “
Zungu said some children have sad and horrific stories. She pointed to a seven-year-old girl whose mother is a cancer patient and a whoonga addict.
“We share our love with them to give hope and inspiration. It is tough being a township kid born into poverty,” Zungu said.
Independent News and Media SA is the official media partner of the conference.
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