Body map 13

When Nomonde heard she had HIV, she assumed she would pass away soon. She wondered who she could give her child to, who was HIV-negative thanks to AZT, a type of anti-HIV drug that can prevent mother-to-child transmission during birth. She recalls her mother forcing her to breastfeed, she screamed as she was afraid of infecting the baby.

Nomonde Kundayi's statement

I was born in Constantia in 1980. It was a six-roomed house with a big garden in which my father worked as the garden boy. They had two big Mercedes in the garage. My mother was working as a domestic worker. We lived in a small servant’s quarter with a tin roof behind the big house, which had a thatch roof.

Mr and Mrs Mattee had a boy my age called Graeme who had lots of toys but he used to like to play with my poppies, my few dolls. His mother told my mother she must send me away or my mother must also go. My mother had worked there for twenty years. She decided to leave, and we came to live in the tents in Khayelitsha. I was surprised to see so many black children and my hair was long and the black children used to come and touch it. There was also so much noise and no trees. My mother stopped to work after that also. She never got another job and my father he was drinking.

I’m coming now to this one, the baby in my womb. When I heard I was HIV I expected to die soon, and I think, where I can give my child who will be negative because of AZT? Maybe to an orphanage, maybe to my sister. I think I can live maybe five more years.

When my baby was born I went home and my mother asked why I’m not breastfeeding. I said to her I’ve got the sore breasts. Then my mother forced me to breastfeed. I cried and cried when he drank my milk because I think I’m passing the virus.

These small spots is HIV. HIV is running in my blood. But if you see my outside you do not believe I’m HIV positive. Even in this group, you can never say Nondumiso and others are HIV. They are beautiful and strong.

Sadly and unexpectedly Nomonde Khundayi passed away in May 2011. Nomonde has two sons. The group attended her burial. It is as yet unclear what caused her death.