The Tree - Clive

In early December, Lindiwe Mvubu and I travelled south from Durban to visit a group of women living in a rural community which has been ravaged by the effects of HIV/Aids. Our meeting was under a large indigenous fig tree whose deep shade broke the intense humid heat of KwaZulu Natal.

The tree has been the meeting place of this community for many decades and commanded an unspoken respect from all who visited this sacred open air forum.
We arrived to find a group of about fifty women, some with small children and a scant presence of men who hung back on the periphery. Our mission was to find HIV+ children who could be given a free HIV treatment in the “Ubuntu Child” film project.

We soon met Mabel, a feisty woman who commanded the leadership of this informal group. Her presence is dominated by an unspoken sense of purpose; a tireless desire to help a poor and embattled rural community. With a faith that is the bedrock of her life, Mabel constantly searches for opportunities to improve lives, with a mind that is razor-sharp to the wiles of the unscrupulous.

Clive (on left) and Mabel in discussions by the Tree

We explain our mission and thus began a relationship that continues to deepen and grow. Mabel has witnessed the successful treatment of nearly fifty HIV+ people from her following. She has seen young children who were shut down by the debilitation of HIV suddenly find their indomitable child energy. Furthermore, she has seen lesions and other physical manifestations of HIV fade in limited time.

Last weekend, Mabel travelled to Bizana in the Transkei, home of the Xhosa people. Her mission was to spread the good news about HIVEX. This important sojourn was at her own behest, almost a calling to try to change the outrageous destruction wrought by HIV in these rural and largely unseen places.


Clive and Mabel with her group meeting by the Tree


Mabel is like the spreading shade of the big fig tree. In her own unsophisticated and caring way, she reaches out to bring relief to the hurting masses. Her roots are going deep and reaching places mostly forgotten by the modern world. Her determination carries her beyond limitation and she breaches even what most would consider the impossible. People like Mabel teach us so much. She remains focused despite odds that would make most recoil from the “overwhelm of circumstance”.
The seed or nut that ultimately gives rise to a great tree, often has to endure considerable pressure before it can burst forth into the trajectory of its own growth. The new tree also has to withstand the unabated pressure of the elements, as Life tests the survival of the fittest, yet again.

The support of people like Mabel and Lindiwe Mvubu is what is helping HIVEX to spread its growing branches. From a humble start, the treatment centre has attracted the attention of a growing number of people who urgently seek respite from the impact of HIV.