Writing about HIV especially one’s HIV positive status is scary business as it exposes one to shame, humiliation stigma and discrimination among other features but all the same someone has to do it and people like me are nolonger apologetic or feel any shame about being positive. In this life we are all created differently and for different purposes as it were and everyone has to try and fulfill that purpose for which God created them.
Purpose is not a one size fits all. It is a calling perculiar to each person.
Now what then happens is when some people make negative comments or try to discourage you from fulfilling your God given purpose like has been done to me since I made the bold decision to talk openly about my being HIV positive back then in 2004 it doesn’t work.Issue is not that there is or there was something wrong with my HIV disclosure, issue is where I drew my strength, courage, bravery and intense passion from.
My detractors couldn’t begin to imagine where I got such strength and courage .
Many secretly couldn’t imagine if it was them doing it because they didn’t have such courage and strength and some secretly wished they were able to take HIV so simply like I and my family do because most are positive but don’t know how to handle it because it’s not their calling.That’s why I am emphasising that Purpose is a calling and I am strengthened by He who calls me to do it.Each weekly article topic just pops up in my mind and I have never failed to find a topic to write on since I began writing on HIV/AIDs in 2013.
I have decided to begin the year by writing on how and why I write on HIV/AIDs issues only .That’s My Writing Journey on HIV/AIDs.My name is Mr Piason Maringwa married to Sarudzai Mudzingwa and have been blessed with two children Simba 35 married and father to 2 children a boy 8 and a girl 5 and Rutendo now 31 born HIV positive married and mother to 3 HIV negative boys.I have been a high school teacher and now aged 61 and have just begun my retirement journey commencing 01 January 2026 after working in the education sector as a teacher for over 30 years.I am also happy that I am retiring a very satisfied man having seen and helped a lot of young people born HIV positive accept their situation and went on to achieve very high academic and professional achievements in their own chosen fields.I am also very happy to have seen my two children Simba and Rutendo who were 9 and 5 when I tested positive grow into adults and become parents making me and my wife very proud grandparents to 5 grandchildren .
I have taught at 10 schools 7 of them in Manicaland and the other 3 in Gokwe South which happens to be my home district. The highlight of my writing achievements in 2025 was the publishing of my book The Extra Time -(The story of my life with HIV) in March 2025 by Beyond Today Publishers.A book that has made headlines in the media and was launched thanks to National AIDs Council on 11 December 2025 at Gwenunngu Primary school near Gwanika Clinic in Gokwe South District.
I have always wanted to write a book and newspaper articles on something in my life but I never imagined I would ever find myself writing on a grim subject like HIV/AIDs.Having tested HIV positive in 1999 and having disclosed to my wife , family,workmates and community at large I discovered that the booing , rejection,shame, humiliation I received after each public disclosure were counter productive and very soon I would be discouraged and stop what I thought was a worthwhile activity judging by the people who came behind the scenes to testify how helpful my disclosures were to them.Thats how I decided to do my advocacy in writing instead of verbally though wherever possible I talk verbally on my positive status.
I began moving from one publishing house to another asking for space to publish my handwritten articles back then until I made a breakthrough in 2013.My first port of call in 2013 was the Sunday Mail at Herald House in Harare in 2013 September where I met the Indepth Column editor Levi Mukarati who accepted one of my articles and was I happy to see it published the following Sunday under the title * Behavior Change Key in the fight against HIV*.The publishing of my article in one of the country’s main newspapers was a major boost to my morale and I went to Midlands Observer in Kwekwe and got space under the heading *Living with HIV Made Simple*I went on to New Ziana ‘s The Times and got a column.During this time all my articles were handwritten and I would send them to Gweru and Kwe Kwe by bus and for two years everything went on very well until a whole month’s articles got lost enroute and I was so disappointed by the loss and stopped writing for a very long while.
Meanwhile I had radio and TV interviews organised by National AIDs Council at ZBC’s radio and TV stations at both Pockets Hill and Mbare studios and also at Heart and Soul TV and these proved to be very helpful as we would sometimes end with listeners calling in asking questions on issues needing clarification.
In 2023 June I and my wife were invited to a media workshop for Newspaper Editors ,Radio and TV station managers at Chinhoyi’s CUT Hotel Conference Centre where we had a very highly loaded 2 day workshop with media managers with each side giving its own views on how issues to do with HIV should be reported.This workshop was very educative and it was also very interactive and I had the convenience of meeting face to face with the Fourth Estate as the media is sometimes referred to.I also met some journalists I had met during my search for space in their newspapers during my early writing days .I also arranged with some editors to have my articles in their newspapers and most were very keen to have my articles in their newspapers.Currently I am writing full time in all the New Ziana stable publications, Midweek Watch,Midlands Observer under Positive Talk I have also had a few articles published by The Herald,The Sunday Mail and in the NAC magazine Interventions.I also had a column in the Zimta magazine Teachers Voice in ZimbabweSome of my articles have appeared in International publications such as Africa Brief of Namibia.
My Writing Journey has been so fruitful as it has culminated in the writing of a published book .The Chinhoyi workshop opened many doors for me and I can’t thank NAC enough through their Communications Directorate of the late Medelina Dube ,Tadiwa Nyatanga and Trust Govere for inviting me and my wife to that workshop as guest speakers.Besides meeting and interacting with the media I was privileged to meet Hon Prof Paul Mavhima my home boy and former teacher at the school where I recently retired from who was our workshop Guest of Honour and upon hearing my financial plight in lack of funds to publish my book offered to help with funds for the initial publishing costs which he did .I have had the privilege to meet and interact with renowned journalists , authors radio and TV personalities of repute at radio and TV stations,Book Cafes and Book Launches among other places.I have also had the opportunity to chat and share ideas with high ranking government officials elsewhere and I think now that I am retired I will be available to do more advocacy work without hindrance from the hectic schedule of formal teaching loads.
In the meantime I am planning to compile a book of all my newspaper articles so far published.Writing on HIV may appear nolonger necessary but judging by the comments from readers of my articles you will realize that we still have got a long way to go before we can say the battle against HIV has been fully won.There is still lots of fear,shame , stigma and discrimination out there, and if newspaper reports on the proliferation of new HIV infections is anything to go by then we are doomed especially if we don’t have any ready solutions to the disruptions caused by funding withdrawals by the USA Trump administration.
This is my writing journey in brief and for those wishing to have a copy of my book call ,Whatsapp ,sms me on my number below.
Piason Maringwa
+263774322043
