HIV-positive Criselda Kananda speaks on Mam’ Angie Diale’s death

Media personality Criselda Kananda said that her friend and fellow activist Angie Diale chose to go public with her HIV status to remove the stigma from it.

Diale, who passed away on Christmas Eve, spoke openly about her health and worked as a health and relationship counsellor.

She was remembered at a memorial service in Soweto on Monday.

Kananda said that Diale was a permanent feature on all the programmes she worked on because they shared the same passion for demystifying HIV and Aids.

Kananda said that Diale could have chosen to keep her HIV status a secret but she recognised that telling her story would allow others not to fear being stigmatised.

“We are human first before we come HIV positive, so that people stop living in secret, people stop living in shame,” Kananda said.

Neighbours and colleagues said that Mam’ Angie – as she was affectionately known – was always ready to go the extra mile to help those around her, inspiring many with her wise counsel and humility.

Diale leaves behind her mother, brother, husband, two children, and a grandson.