When AIDS calls a hero: the story of a Zimbabwean youth

Mbare, Zimbabwe: His was a face that beamed with the hope of a nation hungry for recognition in the international boxing world. And so were his quick jabs that decimated and stupefied opponents in the ring. Gilbert Josamu was an athlete by all definitions of the word. Youthful looks on a handsome face and a barrel chest made him a darling of many and the object of erotic fantasies of debauched women with fiery loins. But looks can be deceptive—deep within, Josamu kept a deadly secret with him. Now we know why...

Born and bred in the dilapidated suburb of Mbare near Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, Giro, as he was popularly and fondly known, defied all odds and rose to become a national middleweight champion. Many poverty stricken Zimbabwean youths looked up to him in admiration as he was the picture perfect example of what talent can do to change one’s tides of fortune; Josamu was the prove that poverty is not a curse that cannot be neutralized in Africa.