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 In this the first episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006, things were slightly different from the last series. Shalom Ncala was this series' presenter but we still had the old support group members, with the exception of the three new members - Thami Mthembu, Fanie de Villiers and Victor Lakay. In this episode the support group spoke about HIV and drug abuse. The studio guest, Guy du Plessis, clarified the dangers of using drugs while being HIV positive. And like Jason, Shalom wrapped up the show with a few helpful points on positive living.
In this the second episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! in 2006 the support group watched inserts on HIV positive people who used to drink alcohol and how they now live their lives with little or no alcohol at all. To help discuss this matter, the group was joined by Dr Ullah Mothibi from the Western Cape Department of Health who explained why alcohol has bearing on the HIV infection rate and why alcohol should be avoided when on ARVs.
By the age of 20, 14 out of every 100 young people are already infected with HIV and most of them were infected in their teens. The support group discussed the importance of communication with the youth, especially when it comes to sex related issues in this episode. Our studio guest was a teenage mother, Nokubonga Yawa, from Khayelitsha who shared with us the hardships she had to go through because her mother never spoke to her about sex.
The Siyayinqoba Support Group spoke about living with HIV and how it affects the people who are close to us. In studio, we had Lihle's fiancé Mandla Ngcoya who shared with the viewers how he had thought of all the risks that come with marrying a HIV positive person. Another guest in studio was Busisiwe's son, Bongisisa Maqungo who also shared with the support group the different reactions he would get at school when he tells his peers that his mother is HIV positive.
This week the Siyayinqoba Beat It! support group learn how to start a food garden. The studio guest is none other than Thami Mthembu from the Rain and Land Care Foundation, who explains what is needed to start a food garden and who can actually start a food garden. Is substituting vegetables for ARVs a solution for people living with HIV? This is a question the support group ask and these questions are answered in the second insert where we see HIV positive people growing healthy vegetables in their food gardens but are still taking their ARVs.
In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! we looked at the reasons behind the need for condom distribution in high schools around the country. Well-known comedian and actor, Pieter-Dirk Uys was in studio. Uys pointed out that leaders in South Africa are oblivious to the HIV/AIDS crisis we are facing and that it is a daily struggle to get them to pay attention to this growing epidemic especially when it comes to the youth of South Africa. Another studio guest, Cynthia Mgijima from the Department of Education, clarified that there is a lot of red-tape when it comes to the distribution of condoms in high schools but that the Department was trying to find other solutions to the high rate of teenage pregnancy and HIV infection.
In this episode's Siyayinqoba Beat It! support group, we got to know more about new support group members, Shalom, Thami and Fanie; from how they contracted HIV to how they are coping with stigma and discrimination and how they educate others about accepting people living with HIV/AIDS.
It was estimated that in 2006 about 230 000 children under the age of 15 in our country were infected with HIV. But only 10 000 of those were on antiretroviral treatment. The rest of them were in desperate need of medication to fight this disease. In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! the team looked at the challenges faced in administering antiretroviral treatment to children and made the point that PMTCT programmes should be scaled up to ensure that no kids are born with HIV in South Africa to start off with.
The official Catholic belief states that people should not use condoms under any circumstances, despite the fact that they could contract HIV through unprotected sex. What implications does this have for the faithful in a country with the highest incidence of HIV infection? Siyayinqoba went to Wits University to meet young Catholic students to discuss their response to the use of condoms in this insert.
In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! the support group discussed water and sanitation and how it affects our lives. If we don't have toilets or running water in our homes, we are at risk of contracting cholera, typhoid and other diseases caused by contaminated water. What can we do to protect ourselves against these diseases? To the support group and viewers to understand this matter, Limpho Klu from Mvula Trust explained the importance of teamwork in communities to get clean water.
In 2004/2005, 306 rapes cases were reported in Khayelitsha alone. The 306 reported rapes however do not give a true reflection of the incidence of rape in this community as 42% of Rape Crisis clients did not report their rapes to the SAPS in the same year. Nationally only 7 - 9% of perpetrators of reported rape cases are convicted and between 40 - 60% of all reported rape cases are withdrawn. What can and should be done to address this social ill? In this episode the group, with the Lorna Mlofana's case as study, reflected on how sustained community mobilisation can ensure justice.
In South Africa, many of us finish grades 12 between the ages of 18 and 20, then we go on to study at a technikon or university, and many of us stay in hostels there. The number of people infected by HIV also increases in the 16 to 20 year age group. In this episode of Siyayinqoba the support group spoke about tertiary institutions and HIV. They were joined by Azola Goqwana who is a peer educator at the Cape Peninsula University to discuss this topic.
Gender violence is a massive problem in South Africa. In 2003, there were almost 53 000 rapes reported, but even this is far lower than the actual number of rapes that took place. Many rape survivors are afraid to report these crimes. They fear they will be victimised by perpetrators, and that police and court officials may embarrass and humiliate them. Rape is one of the main reasons that there are so many more women infected with HIV compared to men, which makes it difficult to arrest them. Siyayinqoba met up with an extremely brave young woman, Noxolo Vumazonke, who was raped by her father.
In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! the team looked at the findings of the Orange Farm study that found that male circumcision substantially reduces the risk of HIV infection for the circumcised male. What implications should these results have on prevention strategies in South Africa? How can the benefits of circumcision be introduced to men without compromising or undermining other prevention strategies? The support group discussed these questions and also discussed what other benefits can and should be derived from traditional Xhosa circumcision.
In this weeks episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 we learnt about cervical cancer and HIV. About half a million women are diagnosed with this disease every year. It's the most common cancer amongst black and coloured South African women. This is an important topic for all women, but it is especially important for those living with HIV to know about cervical cancer, because they have higher chances of getting the disease. The good news is that cervical cancer is preventable if diagnosed early. We were joined by Dr Nomonde Mbatani a gynaecologist from Groote Schuur Hospital and Prof. Lynette Denny who talks to us about cervical cancer.
In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 we look at faith based communities and HIV. Some churches, such as the JL Zwane Church, are doing a great deal to support and care for members of their congregation who are living with HIV, we also look at churches, like the Universal Church, who are promoting the idea that HIV can be cured through prayer.
In this weeks episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 we took a look at South Africa's current response to HIV prevention; ABC. ABC stands for Abstain, be faithful and condomise. There is a need to re-think this approach because South Africa's HIV infection rate is still on the increase despite our prevention efforts. The latest antenatal survey showed that over 30% of pregnant women are testing HIV positive and six million people are now living with HIV. Clearly, ABC is not working. We hear what Mrs. Mnguni, a guidance teacher from Daveyton and her pupils have to say about HIV prevention strategies. We also headed to International Microbicides Conference to hear the thinking there.
In this weeks episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 we are talking about how the slow process of accrediting ARV treatment sites is causing problems for people accessing ARVs, we speak to James Nonnies about the death of his son Msimelelo due to poor access to ARVs, we also speak to HIV positive inmate Sifiso Zulu about accessing ARVs at Westville prison in Durban. Fatima Hassan from the Joint Civil Society Monitoring Forum joins our support group to talk about the problems facing sites wanting to become accredited.
This weeks episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 we see how tuberculosis associated with HIV is South Africa's leading cause of death. We follow Busisiwe as she gets tested for disseminated TB, look at the links between TB and HIV and Dr Lindiwe Mvusi, Director of the Department Health National TB Programme, joins our support group to discuss any questions we may have regarding tuberculosis and how to make sure it is diagnosed correctly.
On Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 this week we talked about the side effects of antiretrovirals. The majority of people on ARVs deal with only mild side effects and it is remarkable that our bodies tolerate this chronic medication so well. There is no medication that does not have side effects. Dr Hermann Reuter and Dr Trevor Majoro talks us through how to recognise and deal with some of the side effects, as well as the importance of finding the right medicine combinations for you.
Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 this week looks at the debate around ARV treatment vs. positive living and curative claims. We look at the Manto diet of garlic, lemons and olive oil, we visit Zeblon Kholwa Gwala and look at his untested ‘miracle' Ubhejane cure, and we speak to Justice Edwin Cameron about living positively on ARVs. We are joined by Nozizwe Mandla-Routledge and Dr Trevor Majoro in studio to discuss the importance of tested medicines.
Today we looked at the media messages around HIV/AIDS on Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006. Positive messages in books, magazines, TV and radio programmes can change behaviour and inform audience effectively. Media messages can also have negative effects, creating poor stereotypes. We need to promote openness and successful role models for people living with HIV. We talk to Adam Levin author of AIDSafari, we are joined by members of loveLife and Health-e and we also spoke to some of our viewers about what they would like to see happen on Siyayinqoba Beat it!
This episode was about understanding drug classes and how ARVs work. Dr Majoro, an HIV clinician and traditional healer joins our support group and helps us to better understand our drug regimens and the importance of adherence. We head out to Khayelitsha where Médecins Sans Frontières help Monwabisi Bikwana make a special application for an antiretroviral which is not yet registered in South Africa.
This week we were looking at pregnancy and HIV on Siyayinqoba. We talk about the safest ways for HIV positive couples to have children or if you or your partner is HIV positive. What you can do if you are HIV positive and your partner is negative. We visit the Cape Fertility Clinic and talk to Dr Linda Gail-Bekker about the risks of having a child if you are HIV positive and safe ways to conceive. In studio the support group are joined by Dr Nombuso Mthethwa to discuss pregnancy and HIV.
The 2004 HIV prevalence rate amongst teachers was 12.7 percent, which roughly equates to 45 000 educators out of a group of about 356 000. HIV is clearly a huge problem amongst teachers. We speak to HIV positive teachers about there lives and we look at how the Tshepanga Trust helps to provide access to treatment. We were also joined by members of the HSRC and the Department of Education to discuss problems and solutions involving teachers and HIV.
In South Africa we have a policy of voluntary counselling and testing. However, many people die because they test too late. Their CD4 counts are very low, giving the ARVs less time to work effectively. In the past when treatment was not available, VCT was important to protect people from stigma, but since the roll-out of ARVs, many people are questioning whether VCT and written consent is the best policy for HIV prevention and treatment. We are joined by Justice Edwin Cameron who believes that VCT slows down the response to HIV and Mark Heywood, Director of the AIDS Law Project who believes that testing must remain voluntary and pre and post test counselling must remain.
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