Ogies - When government made antiretrovirals (ARVs) available for people living with HIV/Aids, Grace Seopela grabbed the opportunity with both hands as she had a strong will to live and fight the virus.
Seopela, who is an HIV ambassador, has been living with HIV for the past eight years and is now encouraging South Africans to get tested as she has seen the benefits of taking treatment.
Speaking at the launch of the HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign on Friday at Eskom's construction site of the Kusile power station in Mpumalanga, Seopela urged employees to know their status as this would empower them to make critical decisions about their lives.
"If it wasn't for government, which gives us treatment, maybe I wouldn't be alive today... When the treatment was made available to us, I grabbed that opportunity and now [I control] HIV ..." Seopela said.
About 80 percent of Eskom employees got tested last year when the campaign was launched at Medupi power station in Limpopo. This week, Eskom continued with its campaign to get employees to know their status.
Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi was at Kusile today, where about 5 000 staff members got tested during the five-day campaign which started on Tuesday.
Chairperson of Eskom Holdings, Zoli Tsotsi, said the enthusiasm shown by staff members towards the campaign was encouraging, as 91 percent of Eskom employees now knew their HIV status.
"Eskom leadership is committed to this campaign and will continue to do so to ensure that we have healthy employees," Tsotsi said, adding that 40 000 employees and contractors had access to testing.
Motsoaledi said since the HCT campaign was launched by President Jacob Zuma in April 2010, 14 million people tested by June last year. He also encouraged men to undergo medical male circumcision.
"Men are still in denial and in hiding. When you ask them when they are going to test, they tell you, 'my wife has tested'. I've since asked women to drag their partners when coming for HIV testing... If you are uncircumcised, please come, we shall help you but you must always wear a condom every time," Motsoaledi said.
He also urged South Africans to get tested at least once a year.
Director-General of the Public Enterprises Department, Tshediso Matona, commended Eskom for its commitment and activism against the pandemic.
"Eskom is big and if employees participate in the campaign, the results will be huge and the message will go further to other people," Matona said.
Eskom employee Thulani Mashinini stressed the importance of using the testing facilities. "The campaign is going to be futile if we don't test. We need to take care of our lives; if we don't, life will not take care of us," said Mashinini.
