MY DOCTOR says I must consider taking antiretroviral drugs for a month. She says we don't know if the knife used to stab me had stabbed someone else and whether or not the victim had HIV.

My doctor also adds that it is difficult to get HIV because you are not guaranteed to get it even if I inject you with a needle directly after using it to inject an Aids-infected person.

I am confused. She advices me to take the antiretrovirals.

I could, she says, very easily fall under that minute percentage and get infected.

I have had to have an anti-tetanus shot. I will be swallowing antibiotics for five days.

The one cut is already septic, meaning the knife was dirty and I already have an infected wound as opposed to a clean one.

By the end of the month I will have spent over R2000 on treatments.

That is in addition to the psychological suffering of not knowing what the end of the month will yield regarding my overall health.

Crime costs victims a lot.

It's Saturday afternoon. The banks are closed. I have very little cash on me.

My muggers took all my bank cards.

I remember this standing at the pharmacy with my doctor's medical script in hand.

The white, middle-agedlady standing behind the counter - who does not know me from a bar of soap - tells me that it's okay.

She will give me enough of all the medicine I need to last me four days if I leave a R100.

I can pay the balance and get the rest of my medicines after talking to my bank.

It takes all my strength not to cry as I remember how, earlier on this same day, the police at Jeppe SAPS had treated me like rat's faeces.

I received my temporary bank card and went to the pharmacy, paid and carried on with my antiretroviral and antibiotic regimen.

Despite all this, I might still test positive for HIV at the end of the month.

But there are other thingsto deal with.

A week after the mugging I receive a call.

"Eric hullo."

"Which Eric is this?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Nthabiseng."

"Which Eric are you looking for?"

"The one we were robbed with in Rhodes Park."

"Okay! That's me. What's up?"

"The guys who robbed us called my brother and gave him your cardholder with all your cards and your driver's licence.

"I have it with me. You can come and collect it at my work."

First, one of the robbers came back to give me my car keys on the night of the robbery!

Now this!

When I ask her if she could tell the robbers to return my stuff she says: "I did a sim-swap. I can't get in touch with them."

After we got robbed, she said the robbers gave her her sim card back.

Why would you get a sim-swap when you have your sim card?

So I decided to give the police her details.