"I believe HIV is about people", says Beauty Ntombizanele Zondi, with the directness of a seasoned peer educator. "If we can talk openly about cancer, then why not HIV? It's human. After all, we're talking about life."  Zondi, who has been a peer educator - or "wellness champion" - at Standard Bank for the past six years, certainly knows a thing or two about life.

The manicured offices of St Leger & Viney, in Kramerville, Johannesburg, give little clue to the spirit of humanity now so integral to the company's ethos. Ironically, it is HIV/AIDS that has triggered dramatic changes in how the fabric distribution and décor specialist company, winner of a Khomanani Excellence Award last year, has begun to tackle the health and wellness of its 50 employees.

IT’s not easy to pin down Gillian Gresak, Anglo Platinum Group HIV/AIDS manager, who flits in and out of her Main Street office in central Johannesburg with the restlessness of a compulsive "do-er". For someone who heads up a massive initiative that extends far beyond the traditional focus for HIV/AIDS workplace programmes, this can only be a positive character trait: Gresak clearly has a lot on her "to do" list. It’s largely her compelling need to make a difference that has transformed Anglo Platinum’s HIV/AIDS programme into a wide-ranging array of community upliftment initiatives that landed the corporation the winning position in the 2005 Khomanani Excellence Awards.