How I Got Infected With HIV At 17 Years Because I Wanted Fame – Lady Narrates

A South African lady, Motsumilebo has shared how she got infected with HIV at the age of 17.

Motsumilebo Who is now an advocate for those living with the virus, narrated her unfortunate ordeal on X, detailing how the pursuit of fame caused her to overlook the unforeseen circumstances.

She went on the advice those in relationships to stay protective of their sexual lives, while paying attention to their health.

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In her words,

I was 17, my friend and I went to a club to watch a performance by Chomee. During the performance, I spotted Tebogo Ndlovu (Zombo), and he was winking at me. He had lost a lot of weight.

Well, people lose weight, so It wasn’t a big deal. He approached me and asked for my numbers, and I gave them to him. We hugged, and he left the club.

So, growing up, I have always wanted to be famous, and I saw this as my ticket to fame. All I could think about were headlines in different newspapers, magazines, etc. “LEBO MOTSUMI PREGNANT WITH ZOMBOS CHILD” yeah that how desperate I was.

We spoke on the phone for a couple of days and planned to meet, he came to my house cause I was living alone at the time. We had unprotected sex and I really didn’t mind cause I had a plan.

Little did I know, he also had his own plan, which was to infect me with HIV on purpose. This relationship was not one built on love. I wanted fame, and he wanted to infect me.

We had sex everywhere and anywhere, mostly in his white golf 1. I remember the wife would call me to leave him alone, did I listen? Nah, I was on a mission. To date, I feel she was warning me, but at the time, I didn’t really care. I wanted the fame.

The Aftermath (HIV Lady)

Months later, he got ill and was admitted to Sunninghill Hospital and told me he had TB. I still made nothing out of it, and when he recovered, we continued having sex, I would even feed his drug addiction with my school fees money.

I eventually fell pregnant, and I was so excited. I called to inform him, and he denied the pregnancy. After some time at 6/7 months, I decided to have an abortion at a back street clinic. Went on with my life.

He then reached out and asked me to watch a music show on SABC1. I think it’s called “Liveamp” now. He appeared on the show sitting on a wheelchair. He then disclosed his HIV status and mentioned he went around spreading the virus cause he didn’t want to die alone.

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Now you probably thinking the first thing I would do is test? Nope, I thought I was immune to getting infected with HIV, I just never associated myself with the virus.

How do I know he infected me? At 16, I was pregnant, and after giving birth to a premature baby (after trying to abort), I tested negative for HIV, and zombo was the next person I slept with after burial of my son.

HIV doesn’t have a face, and it can happen to anyone. Let’s start testing regularly with our partners. Get on prep, and use a condom consistently. An HIV infection is avoidable.