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Dear All
Hello
Sometimes you hear or read the news and unexpectedly, a story
provides inspiration and shows that compassion still exists.
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Prudence Mabele's decision to become one of the first black South African
women to declare her HIV-positive status was the start of a lifetime's campaigning.
This was in 1992 and there was tremendous stigma associated with this illness.
Miss Mabele was determined to be brave and encouraged others to live without shame.
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Miss Mabele was just 18 when she contracted HIV in 1990, but a search
for a friend to share her fears and hopes with over this new diagnosis reportedly
only led her to hospital wards filled with dying babies.
In 1992, South Africa's HIV epidemic was in its infancy.
The proportion of 15 to 49-year-olds infected was just 2.5%, according to the World Bank and it was still largely seen as a disease which affected gay men.
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Over the next few years, Miss Mabele threw herself into trying to break the silence around HIV status, founding organisations, like the Positive Women's Network
in 1996.
At the same time, the numbers infected with HIV/Aids in South Africa continued to soar: by 1998, 2,900,000 were thought to be infected, equating to 15.1% of the adult population.
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There were also developments when it came to treatment: the first anti-retrovirals went on to the market in the latter half of the 1990s, and ensuring people had access to them became one of Mabele's key causes.
At the time, they cost 7,000 rand (£415/$541) a month, Miss Mabele said later in interviews. It was too expensive, out of reach of many of those infected.
As a result, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) was founded.
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In 2000 when some 1,500 people were being infected every day,
things took an unexpected turn.
President Thabo Mbeki declared that while he could accept that HIV contributed to the collapse of the immune system, it was not the only cause. Other factors like poverty and poor nutrition were also involved, he said.
"A virus cannot cause a syndrome," Mr Mbeki told parliament.
"A virus can cause a disease, and Aids is not a disease, it is a syndrome."
Suddenly, the fight was not just for funding. It was against the government, and its new "Aids denialism".
It was up women like Miss Mabele, to fight when the government delayed the roll out of ARVs to pregnant mothers, which would stop the transfer of the virus from mothers to babies, potentially saving thousands of lives.
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After Mr Mbeki lost power in 2008, the government's stance on Aids changed.
Miss Mabele did not stop her fight, either on the streets during protests or just being there for people, visiting them in hospital or sitting with grieving relatives.
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Very sadly, Miss Mabele passed away on 10 July, aged just 46 years.
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Deborah Birx, the US global Aids coordinator, told American news site PRI:
"When you think about how she had to confront this pandemic in 1992,
how she had to go through the time when often times in South Africa,
they didn't acknowledge that HIV was the cause of the pandemic and yet,
she was that voice,".
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A friend's tribute stands out:
"Everything that we got from Prudence Mabele was how to love," Phindile Mkhabela told SABC.
"Prudence was a force of nature;
Prudence was joy and compassion;
Prudence was acceptance;
Prudence was release;
Prudence was forgiveness;
Prudence was respect;
Prudence was generous; and that generosity cost her life. She didn't know when to stop.
"May we honour her; may we celebrate her, and may we remember how to live, because that's what she did."
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Rest in peace Prudence and thank you,
Take gentle care all
Sincere wishes
Elizabeth, EOS
xx
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Prudence was a wonderful lady <3 <3 <3
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Someone always has to be first and the courage it must take to to do it. She was so brave and she made the difference.
RIP Prudence so brave from such a young age. <3
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A true Campaigner!
RIP Prudence :-( :-(
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Dear Maggie, Pat and Allan
Hello
Thank you so much for adding to the post.
This story of the truly remarkable Prudence was tucked away in the news.
It did not get the coverage which it deserved.
Take gentle care
With my best wishes
Love Elizabeth, EOS
xx
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Rest in peace, Prudence. Life's work very well done. Such a brave lady who turned something awful into something positive.
Lizxx
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What a lady. Thank you for sharing. xx
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