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My Aids loss - Mandela
24/08/2002 22:15 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Former President Nelson Mandela has spoken for the first time of
how he has been personally affected by the Aids pandemic, losing
close relatives to the disease, The Sunday Times newspaper
reported.
Mandela confirmed to the newspaper that three young members of
his family had succumbed to Aids in the Eastern Cape and that he
had visited one of them in hospital and offered his help.
The relatives who died were a 22-year-old niece and two sons of
a nephew whom Mandela described as "a prominent relative who is not
a relative but also very close to me."
Mandela said his niece lived near his home town of Qunu, about
22km from Umtata. His nephew's sons lived quite some distance from
the nearest town. All three were in different parts of the
Transkei.
"I became aware of my niece's illness when I came down to the
Transkei... I learnt that she was in hospital and that she was
HIV-positive. I went to see her because I was visiting the Transkei
only for that day. I left some money for my brother to treat her.
"A few days later I got back to Johannesburg, I heard that she
had died."
Mandela said his nephew had also lost two sons who were HIV
positive.
"One was a teacher and I do not know what the other one's
occupation was. Although I am not sure of their age, they were both
young," he said.
The Sunday Times quoted Mandela saying he had asked his family
if he could disclose their identity.
"... but they were not happy about that, so we can't disclose
their identity," he said.
"I do not know if they had antiretrovirals. The father is a
well-to-do man so they could not have been short of resources to
get antiretrovirals.
"I was aware of the illness of my niece but I was not aware of
the illness of the sons of my nephew until after they had passed
away," Mandela said in the interview.
- SAPA
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HIV/Aids Special Report
