Nkosi Johnson, who was born Xolani Nkosi, born on February 4, 1989.
He was a child who died from Hiv/Aids, before he was 12 years old on June 1, 2001.
At the time of his death, he was the longest-surviving HIV-positive born child.
He made a powerful impact on public perceptions of the pandemic and was ranked fifth amongst SABC3’s Great South Africans.
Nkosi was born to Nonthlanthla Daphne Nkosi in a village near Dannhauser in 1989.
He was HIV-positive from birth, and was legally adopted by Gail Johnson, a Johannesburg public relations practitioner, when his own mother, debilitated by Aids, was no longer able to care for him.
His mother died of HIV/AIDS in the same year that he started school in 1997.
This was also the year when Nkosi first came to the public attention, when a primary school in Melville refused to accept him as a pupil because of his Hiv-positive status.
The incident caused a ripple-effect to the highest political level because the South African Constitution forbids discrimination on the grounds of medical status.
The school later reversed its decision.
Nkosi’s condition steadily worsened over the years, although, with the help of medication and treatment, he was able to lead a fairly active life at school and at home.
He was the keynote speaker at the 13th International Aids conference, where he encouraged people with HIV/AIDS to be open about the disease and to seek equal treatment.
Nkosi finished his speech with the words:”Care for us and accept us — we are all human beings. We are normal. We have hands. We have feet. We can walk, we can talk, we have needs just like everyone else — don’t be afraid of us — we are all the same!”
Together with his foster mother, Nkosi founded a refuge for Hiv-positive mothers and their children, Nkosi’s Haven, in Johannesburg.
In November 2005, Gail represented Nkosi when he posthumously received the International Children’s Peace Prize from the Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Nkosi’s Haven received a prize of US $100,000 from the KidsRights Foundation.
Nkosi is buried at the Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg.
