Siyabonga Makhonkxa speaking at the Higher Education and Training Health Wellness & Development Centre's (HEaids) breakfast meeting in Kempton Park. Image source: SowetanLive
Siyabonga Makhonkxa, a Khayelitsha based HIV&AIDS activist has promised to avail himself out of his busy schedule to assist those who have been affected by HIV.
In his post shared to the Gugulethu Township Facebook group on September 19th, he also shared his WhatsApp contact number for those interested in his assistance, “Enjongo yam kukumkhuthaza akwazi nokuzamkele imo akuso”, said Makhonkxa while ruminating in his 16-year journey living with HIV.
Makhonkxa, 33, was gang-raped by six men in 2007 which that led to his infection. As a grade 10 learner at the time, Makhonkxa was attending a “Miss Freshet” with his friends at the University of Fort Hare in Alice, Eastern Cape. He recalls a navy Citi golf at about 01:00 to 02:00am with his perpetrators who he at first had regarded them as his saviors for giving him a lift home after he could not find his friends that he came with to the event and did not have nor know anyone to shelter him on the campus.
Resentment towards himself, his friends and men along with suicidal thoughts built up as he kept the incident as a secrete to himself for three years in fear of being stigmatized and it being weaponized and used by his own parents against each other.
The born-and-bred Fort Beaufort HIV&AIDS activist grew up in an environment where he and his two siblings witnessed their father’s alcohol abuse and that of his domestic abuse towards their mother.
“I had to play a part of being a parent in a young age, I’ve never enjoyed my childhood as a child. at some point my upbringing impacted me to a point where by that I couldn’t be able to enjoy my childhood in the way that I was supposed to… nevertheless I’m who I am today, I had to mold myself and to be the better person in the way that I wanna be”
On a Facebook live on September 22 he said the incident happened for a reason as he is now using his story as a testimony to help others.
He further stated that the society is failing men on not providing safe spaces to confide about their sexual violations and those that seek such spaces on their sexual assaults, their sexualities turned to be questioned.
On the Gugulethu Township Facebook post he has acknowledged the resistance from those infected with HIV hence his initiative for motivation, saying that “luyaphela ulutsha kwaye luyasulelana ngakumbi ngeHIV”.
Makhonkxa made it clear that he is doing this out of love and pleads for the public to not exploit his generosity and any meeting arrangements to be made, the people he is to help are responsible for that.
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