HIV+ Woman arrested for infecting partner

A WOMAN from Gwanda who did not disclose her status and had unprotected sex with her lover has been arrested for deliberately exposing him to HIV.

Sophie Ndlovu (29) of 309 Marriage Cottages appeared before Gwanda resident magistrate Mr Arafat Konzanai yesterday facing charges of deliberately exposing a partner to HIV.

She was not asked to plead and remanded in custody to November 24.

Prosecutor Mr Takudzwa Mafudze said the complainant, Mr Celani Moyo, fell in love with Ndlovu in June last year.

From that time, they allegedly started engaging in sex using condoms until February this year when he paid lobola and they started living together.

He then allegedly invited her to go for voluntary HIV testing in Bulawayo but when they arrived at the centre she refused to enter the building arguing that her relative worked there and she did not want her to know her status.

When they returned to Gwanda, Ndlovu allegedly gave Moyo a November 2014 hospital card which indicated that she was HIV negative.

From that time, the court heard, Moyo started engaging in sex with Ndlovu without protection.

In April, she allegedly started developing sores on her skin and when he inquired about them, she told him that she was being bewitched by her maternal aunt.

Moyo allegedly took her to sangomas and hospitals but her condition did not improve.

In May, he allegedly asked her to go for HIV testing but she started being violent accusing him of labelling her a prostitute.

He then allegedly moved out of the house in September and told her that he would only return on condition that she goes for testing.

Ndlovu allegedly then went for HIV testing and when the results were positive she advised her husband to also go for testing.

When Moyo went he was told that he was HIV negative. However, he later discovered that his wife was tested two years before they met and tested positive but hid her status from him.

He made a police report leading to her arrest.