Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - March 22, 2009
Lauren Cohen
The 23-year-old banking credit analyst of Cape Town is the eighth winner in the Discovery Health Sunday Times HIV-testing competition, launched in July last year.
Xanywa had an HIV test in September last year and was urged by a nursing sister at a pharmacy in Tyger Valley to enter the draw.
"Knowing my HIV status has become part of who I am.
"I try to test every year. I just decided to do this one on my birthday and I got the best gift ever," said Xanywa.
The bubbly young woman, who lives in Durbanville and hails from Lady Frere in the Eastern Cape, could not believe her luck.
"I am personally affected by HIV - someone very close to me is HIV-positive."
As a result, Xanywa has long been an active supporter of HIV/Aids programmes.
"At varsity, I used to visit local schools and teach kids about HIV/Aids, handing out pamphlets about the disease. It's something very close to my heart."
She plans to build a house for her mother, Veliswa, with her winnings.
"My mom rents in Cala (in the Eastern Cape), where she works, but she wants a house in our home village of Lady Frere.
"I have been having sleepless nights working out how much the building project is going to cost. Now I don't have to worry, thanks to Discovery Health and the Sunday Times."
She said the new house would replace the two-room home in which she grew up.
"My mom always wanted a bigger house but could not afford one, because she was paying my school fees. This is my way of saying thank you."
She will use some of the money to pay off a student loan from her days at the University of the Western Cape, where she achieved a BCom degree, majoring in finance.
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