World AIDS Day: KZN rape survivor opens up
Updated | By Lauren Beukes
An HIV positive KZN woman says HIV/AIDS is not a death sentence despite the stigma and discrimination attached.
27-year-old Niqita Pieterse has been living with the virus for 10 years and has given birth to three healthy children. Reflecting on World Aids Day - which is being commemorated today - Pieterse says she contracted the virus when she was raped at 18-years-old.
She says when she first learnt of her status she did not believe it.
"I actually laughed. I laughed at the nurse because I did not want to accept it because I was in denial", she said.
World Aids Day is being commemorated under the theme ‘Rock the Ribbon.’ According to UNAIDS, there are an estimated 36.7 million people living with HIV - 7.7 million of them are in South Africa.
Pieterse says people should use the day to educate themselves on the virus.
"At the end of the day HIV is no longer a killer. I normally say it is a virus and so is flu and there is no difference and it is something that is very manageable", Pieterse said.
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