[The Conversation Africa] Born in 1957, Simon Tseko Nkoli had just turned 41 when he died, in 1998, of an AIDS-related illness. In his short life, the South African activist fought against different forms of oppression. He fought for those downtrodden because of their "race". He stood up for those ostracised because of their HIV status. His greatest fight, though, was for those persecuted because of their sexual orientation.