She is one of the most vocal media personalities in the country.Some love to hate her, but she has been consistent in speaking her mind.However, actress, TV presenter, and model Pearl Thusi (34) is often selective about what she shares about her personal life. In an interview with rapper L-Tido on the L-Tido Podcast, the mom of two opens up about her parent's death, her mom when she was 15 years old and her dad in 2020, and how she found out about her parents' HIV/AIDS status. 

LOSING HER MOM

Pearl opened up about how her father a taxi owner infected her mother, a nurse, with HIV. At first, she was reluctant to speak about the matter but felt it was important to bring awareness around the stigma of HIV/AIDS. "When my mother died, one of her best friends had come to the house.She had hidden money. I ended up using that money to buy her an outfit for when she was in the casket, and I remember they walked into the living room. It crossed my mind that she was dead, but you never imagine that your mother can die. I just didn't imagine that. I just remember uSis Lindiwe saying usesishiyile (she has left us), and you think of all the possible things that could mean at that moment. Me and my sisters just lost it and everyone telling us not to cry.' Pearl says her mother had been sick for a few months before she died. "I got really close to her in those few weeks. I was in grade 10. I was still Miss SA Teen first princess, and I was doing my homework until really late and we'd have conversations. I would ask her why she dated dad,' she says. "My dad was a taxi owner and taxi driver at the time. She couldn't explain it.' 

HER FATHER

 Pearl says she only got to ask her mom a bunch of questions while she was ill. "Then she was gone.,' she says. "It wasn't until much later that I found out that my mom had contracted something from my father. My mother was a professional nurse and even trained other nurses at the time,' she adds."She was HIV positive, and my dad was always getting sick. Atthe time, the stigma attached to HIV was really wild.' Pearl says she has neverfelt the need to speak about the matter t protect her parents' legacy. "I wouldhave never brought this up If my dad was still alive. As much as it's importantto talk about HIV and the stigma and us having progressed, I wouldn't wantpeople to look at my parents and just think of that. So yet at the same time,it's important to hail those people as heroes.' Pearl says her dad survived fora long time. "My mom had gold stones. For her to have died from that was verysuspicious but I guess her being HIV positive didn't really help,' she says."My dad had meningitis, maybe three times and he survived, which is insane onits own,' Pearl recalls how he first fell ill. "I remember the first time hegot it, we were at home and I didn't know what was wrong with my dad becausethey didn't tell us anything. I found out when my daughter was two or threeyears old and my mother would have passed on about eight years, I think. So,for me to find out in that way, my dad was still alive. I was so angry,' shesays. "I was a mother myself by then. It was a secret.'

SPEAKING OUT 

 Pearl adds that she had taken care of someone who was HIV positive but did not know.   "These are my parents; it's part of my story and they are not here anymore. And I guess if anything, I want the experience of being raised by parents who are HIV-positive to be so important.The time was a sensitive time. I felt the relief from my father when he found out that I already knew,' she says. "So, it's been an interesting journey with HIV and World AIDS Day. I wouldn't understand why my mother every year would light a red candle and she'd be invested in it, and I thought it was because she lost a lot of patients.' Pearl advised parents to open lines of communication with their children and families. "Times have changed. It's a lot easier for children to deal with the idea and the consequences of you being HIV positive and also, and we need to make the conversation flow more easily with respect and understanding. There needs to be conversation and information being shared.' 

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