Johannesburg | Saturday
TRIBUTES have poured in for South Africa’s Aids icon Nkosi Johnson, who died in the early hours of the Friday morning, commending the courage of the 12-year-old boy who came to symbolise the fight against HIV/Aids and discrimination.
The skeletally-thin Nkosi, South Africa’s longest surviving child Aids sufferer, died peacefully at his Johannesburg home, his foster mother Gail Johnson announced.
Nkosi captured the world’s attention last July when he made a powerful appeal at an international Aids conference in the east coast city of Durban for people living with HIV and Aids to be treated as normal people.
“We can walk and talk. You can’t get Aids by hugging, kissing and holding hands,” he told the audience, which included President Thabo Mbeki.
Following the conference former president Nelson Mandela said Nkosi had touched the hearts and inspired millions of people, describing him as “an icon of the struggle for life”.
On Friday, Mandela said: “He was very bold … he was an example in showing how one should handle a disease of this nature.”
“It is a great pity that this young man has died,” said Mandela.
Peter Piot, head of the UN Aids agency UNAIDS, sent a message of sympathy from Geneva on hearing of Nkosi’s death.
In Cape Town, South Africa’s parliament observed a minute’s silence.
Nkosi was born HIV-positive in Johannesburg in 1989 and given nine months to live.
He was unable to join the celebrations of his 12th birthday on February 4 – he had been semi-comatose after suffering severe seizures in December.
In April, he survived an armed robbery at Johnson’s modest home. The robbers made off with a television set, a video-recorder, a sound system, and a kettle.
Johnson said in a statement after his death that Nkosi had again suffered seizures last week.
At the time of his death he weighed less than 10kg and was fed via a naso-gastric tube.
Johnson said vigils would be held for Nkosi on Friday night in two of Johannesburg’s townships, Soweto and Daveyton.
A memorial service will be held for Nkosi in Johannesburg’s biggest football stadium on Wednesday and his funeral will be held on Saturday, June 9.
Johnson vowed Friday to continue to campaign for infected mothers and children.
“We are in the throes of establishing an Nkosi Johnson Aids Foundation,” she said. Donations to the foundation can be made through the Internet site http://nkosi.iafrica.com.
Tributes on the site included: “Nkosi, you are a true KING” (Nkosi may be translated as king), “Hamba Kahle brave warrior” – words from an anthem during the anti-apartheid struggle for fallen heroes, and “Your small hands reached me across the world”.
It is estimated that 70 000 children are born HIV-positive in South Africa every year and that there are some 500 000 to 800 000 Aids orphans in the country, which has the world’s highest number of HIV-positive citizens – 4.7 million at the end of 2000, according to government figures. – AFP
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