Nkosi Johnson Biography and Works.

Nkosi Johnson (February 4, 1989 – June 1, 2001) was a South African child with HIV/AIDS, who made a powerful and long lasting impact on public perceptions of the pandemic and its effects before his death at the age of 12.

He was ranked fifth amongst SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation television channel) Great South Africans. He was the longest surviving HIV-positive born child at the time of his death.

Nkosi was born to Nonthlanthla Daphne Nkosi in a town of Johannesburg. Nkosi was legally adopted by Gail Johnson, a Johannesburg Public Relations practitioner and was a HIV-positive from birth.

It was when a primary school refused to accept him as a pupil because of his HIV-positive status that the young Nkosi Johnson first came to public attention in 1997. The incident caused a furore at the highest political level South Africa’s Constitution forbids discrimination on the grounds of medical status. The school later reversed its decision.

Nkosi’s mother died of HIV/AIDS in the same year he started his school. His own condition steadily worsened over the years. However, he was able to lead a fairly active life at school and at home, with the help of medication and treatment.

Nkosi was the keynote speaker at the 13th International AIDS Conference. He encouraged people living with HIV/AIDS to be open about the disease.

Trivia

Nkosi founded a refuge for HIV positive mothers and their children by the name Nkosi’s Haven in Johannesburg

In November 2005, Nkosi posthumously received the International Children’s Peace Prize. Nkosi’s Haven received a prize of US$100,000) from the Kids Rights Foundation.