Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times - Sunday, 15 August, 2004
Victor Khupiso
The playwright and actor is now permanently confined to bed and spends most of his time sleeping and resting.
His relatives from the Eastern Cape have flown to Joburg to be at his bedside and neighbours have rallied around him.
This week, when Metro visited him at the hospice, Kente, 72, despite his worsening condition, was his usual charming self and joked that he wanted to comb his hair before photographs were taken.
"I'm happy to see my family together," he said.
Kente made headlines in November when he disclosed his HIV-positive status publicly, earning him praise from former President Nelson Mandela.
"Kente is very ill but stable. His appetite is back. He is improving," said Dr Thobi Sekgabi, who does volunteer work at the hospice. Kente's son, Mzwandile Ngoqo, said his father's illness had devastated him. "It hurts to see someone you love in such a condition.
"Slicks, as I call him, is always happy to see us.
"We've had some rough times. But they do not mar the good times we had with him. He is our hero."
Ngoqo praised the care his father was receiving from the hospice staff.
"They are giving him love and care. It's comforting that the staff are so highly committed to their work.
"We really appreciate it that he is in safe hands."
Kente, or "Bra Gibs", whose career spanned three decades, is credited with keeping township theatre alive during the apartheid years.
From his double garage in Dube, Soweto, he helped produce some of the country's top musicians, playwrights and singers.
He trained and assisted Mbongeni Ngema and the late pop diva Brenda Fassie, among others.
In 2000 he received an award for his ability to unearth talent among disadvantaged communities.
Edith Khumalo, a social worker at the hospice, said Kente wanted to be discharged so he could return home, but they feared he would not have anyone to care for him.
She said they were trying to find a sponsor for Kente so that when he was discharged, he could be taken to a place with better care facilities.
"He is a great person. Everyone knows about the role he has played in our country and he deserves the best care," she said.
"He is well known, not only here but all over the world. We definitely need sponsors to help."
The Soweto Hospice in Mofolo falls under the Hospice Association of the Witwatersrand and was opened six years ago. Most people treated there are HIV-positive and the centre is battling with overcrowding and a shortage of funding.
About 50 to 100 patients are seen every day but there is room for only nine beds.
"I have always been a doctor for the people. I will treat a patient even if that person has no money to pay," said Sekgabi.
One patient, who did not want to be named, described the staff at the hospice as "angels of mercy".
"The service we get here is incredible. I wish we could get a bigger place. I come here every day to get support because at home nobody cares for me."
Khumalo said that despite the workload, staff at the hospice loved their work. "We treat patients spiritually, physically and socially and we are with them until the end.
"To see them having a decent meal and getting the dignity and love they deserve - this is what keeps us on top."
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