Court hears of woman's anxiety, fear after she was infected with HIV unknowingly

JOHANNESBURG - Emotions ran high on Wednesday at the Pretoria Magistrates Court, where a woman whose ex-partner was convicted of attempted murder for infecting her with HIV without her knowledge, has spoken of the fear and anxiety she now lives with on a daily basis.

In June, former South African National Defence Force (SANDF) member Leon Santos Conga was found guilty of the rape and attempted murder of Antoinette Ndishishi, who has consented to being identified.

Sentencing proceedings were under way on Wednesday, with Ndishishi having started testifying in aggravation thereof.

Ndishishi said that knowing she was living with a potentially deadly disease was “devastating”.

"Even though there’s treatment available, there’s no cure for HIV. This means I will live with this disease for the rest of my life and that there will always be a risk of infecting my partner or my baby if I should ever become pregnant. This creates a lot of anxiety and fear."

Ndishishi also told the court how she was ostracised by her community and even victimised by members of her family and her co-workers, following her diagnosis. 

She also spoke about how the ARV treatment she’s on now impacts her social life and acts as a constant reminder of what happened to her.

Ndishishi explained how she was diagnosed while still in the throes of grief after having lost her older brother just a few years earlier.

"By giving me the HIV virus, he didn’t just kill my self-esteem, he inflicted more pain to the trauma I was already dealing with and trying to heal from."

Proceedings wrapped up for the day and are set to resume on 20 August 2024.