LIHLE DLAMINI

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 1 - Opportunistic Infections

This 2004 Siyayinqoba Beat It! series was broadcast on SABC1. With Jason Wessenaar as the presenter, this fourth series' Support Group was comprised of some old and some new members. Once again Dr Nombulelo Madala was the resident doctor. At the end of each episode Jason summarised each episode's content with a ‘Things we should remember' section. In this first episode the team looked at opportunistic infections and the need to treat them as soon as possible. It went on to show the benefits of being treatment literate: Treatment literacy allows you to demand the right drugs; the drugs that will work.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 2 - Sexually transmitted infections

In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! the team discussed sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The inserts focused on the prevalence of STIs amongst the youth which in turn got the support group to discuss how prevention messaging can be improved to bring about behaviour change in the youth when it comes to sex.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 3 - Beating HIV at work

The Siyayinqoba Beat It! Support Group talked about the rights of HIV positive people at work in this episode. As an example the team used workers at a mine of Anglo Gold Ashanti. With the help of legal practitioners, we learnt the importance of understanding our rights and how they can help us in the workplace. Fatima Hassan, from the AIDS Law Project, joined the group and helped to shed a bit of light on how the rights of people living with HIV can be defended. Later Jason summarised the episode with the week's ‘Things we should remember'.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 4 - Learners beat HIV

In this week's episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! we heard how teenagers dealt with discrimination when disclosing to their families and peers. Nwabisa Njaba, a HIV positive learner joined the Siyayinqoba Beat It! Support Group in studio to share her experiences on when and how she disclosed her status and what challenges she had to face at school.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 5 - Caring for Children on ARVs

Treatment Literacy and drug adherence are two related requirements that improve the success of the antiretroviral roll-out. This was reaffirmed by the Siyayinqoba Beat It! Team. What however are the additional challenges that HIV positive children face in firstly accessing ART and then taking it correctly. To help answer these questions the team met up with Joyce Kepe and her daughter Caroline in Mbekweni, Paarl. Dr Nombulelo then joined the group to explain the important things caregivers can do to prevent infections in HIV positive children.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 6 - Teachers beat HIV

In this episode the Siyayinqoba Beat It! support group learnt that there are quite a few educators who find it difficult to disclose their HIV status' at work or at home. So the team went to Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape to meet Nomachule Tayabi who shared her difficulties as an HIV positive educator. The support group was then joined by Dr David Mbetse, a SADTU HIV/AIDS officer, who encouraged educators to be open about their HIV positive status.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 7 - Children on ARVs beat HIV

Nomandla Yako brought her son, Thamsanqa, to the Siyayinqoba Beat It! support group to share the difficulties she went through when Thamie was a bit younger. She went on to say that since he started antiretroviral therapy his health improved drastically. In the insert we also got to meet the nine year old Jady Grasland who had had horrible disfiguring facial warts until she started taking ARVs.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 9 - How Social Grants Can Help Us

The Siyayinqoba Beat It! Team investigated the role social grants play in the response to the HIV epidemic. The team met with Thelile in Tugela, KwaZulu Natal who had recently accessed social grants. Thelile was using the grants to help take care of her siblings after her parents had passed away from AIDS. The social grant system was then discussed further with in house guest Dr Nalega Constance Kganakga from the Department of Social Development.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 10 - Caring for AIDS orphans

This tenth episode in the 2004 series of Siyayinqoba Beat It! focused on AIDS orphans; children who have lost their parents because of HIV/AIDS. We met little Andisiwe and her sister and heard about the hardships that they went through and how they are being taken care of. Cati Vawda from the Children's Rights Centre furthered the discussion around these vulnerable children as the episode's in house guest.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 13 - PMTCT

The Siyayinqoba Beat It! team followed Busisiwe's story about the death of her daughter Nomazizi; how her loss changed her perception of HIV and how she rose from that challenge. Dr Nombulelo Madala was in the studio again to answer questions about the prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission programme.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 19 - Community home based care

There are many people in our communities who are sick with AIDS defining illnesses. The burden of care falls on women and children, who often can't cope. This is where community based care is needed the most. But what exactly is community base care? Whose responsibility is it to provide the care? Siyayinqoba visited the Stanger Centre in KwaZulu Natal to see what community based care involves.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 20 - Sex and the Positive Person

How do we deal with disclosure to our partners? Should we disclose to people we have casual sex encounters with? Does being HIV positive affect a woman's right to have children? How do relationships between an HIV positive person and an HIV negative person work? These are some of the questions that were discussed in this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It!

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2004 Episode 25 - Lusikisiki ARV programme

In Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape, a pioneering project showed that when healthcare workers and the community work together, they can implement life-saying antiretroviral medication just as well as more well-resourced urban areas.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 1 - Disclosure

In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! - the support group discussed the importance of disclosuring one's HIV positive status to people you trust. The team visited Michelle Peers, an HIV positive woman from Wallacedene, who was finding it difficult to tell her aunt about her HIV status. Michelle and Ricardo du Preez, who is a nurse at the clinic where Michelle goes to for her treatment, joined us in studio to discuss her disclosure and how Ricardo supported her through it all.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 2 - Palliative Care

In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It, the support group looked at the pros and cons of both home based palliative care and palliative care at a Hospice. In order to get more insite the support group were joined by Seipati Ngobeni who helped nurse her HIV positive aunt back to health. Another studio guest, Dr Natalya Dinat, brought a professional perspective to the discussion.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 3 - Middle Class Denialism

Ronald Louw had been exemplary in almost all aspects of his life, except the fact that he did not get tested for HIV. In this episode of Siyayinqoba the team goes to Durban where Louw's memorial service took placeIn studio Treatment Action Campaign chair Zackie Achmat, Louw's close friend and comrade explained the importance of early testing and how many lives can be saved if everyone could do away denialism and get tested.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 4 - Substance Abuse and Adherence

There are many different substances out there, and they have two things in common; they make it more likely for us to have unsafe sex and get infected or re-infected with HIV. Drugs also make it harder for HIV positive people to adhere to ARVs once they've progressed to stage 4 of the disease. In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It!, support group member Zack Smit was the youth guest. Zack shared his experiences as someone recovering from substance abuse and living openly with HIV with the viewers.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 6 – Transactional and Intergenerational Sex

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 7 - Treating opportunistic infections

In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! the support group spoke about the more serious opportunistic infections which occur when the immune system is very weak, when the CD4 cell count is below 200. This is the stage that is called AIDS. The reality is when your CD4 cell count is low, HIV positive people get a number of opportunistic infections but the good news is that with the help of ARVs many people recover even from serious opportunistic infections and get well again.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 8 - Sex Workers and HIV

We all want to live in a world that is AIDS free and we cannot be judgemental about sex work. Sex workers are as much at risk from their clients as clients may be from sex workers. Our objective has to be to make sex work safe for both clients and sex workers. In this epsiode the support group spoke about the dangers faced by sex workers and what kinds of services are offered to help them protect themselves.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 10 - Orphans

In this episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! we visited the Shabalala family in Bronkhortspruit, Mpumalanga, to find out about the day-to-day struggles and needs of child-headed households. We also found out about the Sizanani Village and Isibindi Project that assist in giving or facilitating social, personal and psychological support to children orphaned by HIV and AIDS.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 11 – Multi-drug resistant TB

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 13 - HIV in the SANDF

Our constitution states that discrimination on the basis of one's gender, sexual orientation and any unfair discrimination is not acceptable and yet by not employing people living with HIV or AIDS, the South African National Defence Force continues to discriminate against people living with HIV. The SANDF is exempt from key legislation which is the basis of South Africa's non-discriminatory policy on HIV/AIDS. The support group debated and questioned why the law allows this kind of discrimination to continue in the South African Defence Force.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 19 - Exclusive Breastfeeding vs Exclusive Formula Feeding

Siyayinqoba Beat It! - the programme for people living with HIV and AIDS, and our partners, families and friends, discussed the choices facing mothers living with HIV in feeding their babies by breastfeeding or formula feeding. With the practical experience of mothers living with HIV, Simphiwe Mabaso from Mpumalanga and Nompumelelo Buthelezi from KwaZulu-Natal we learnt more about the two options.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 20 - Mental Health and HIV

In this episode the Siyayinqoba support group examined how HIV can affect our mental health and how mental health challenges can be treated. About one out of every 3 people regularly making use of HIV/AIDS clinics show some signs of facing mental health challenges and may need help to overcome these. What are the signs of depression and other mental health difficulties? And what can we do to take better care of our mental health as people living with HIV and AIDS?

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 21 - Living with a disability and HIV

Many people living with HIV/AIDS are also living with different kinds of disabilities. Does HIV/AIDS awareness and education reach people with disabilities? Are our healthcare services sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities? Through the experiences of John Meletse of the Gay and Lesbian Archives (GALA), Buyile Vava and other members of Disabled People of South Africa (DPSA) and parliamentarian, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, the Siyayinqoba support group shared ideas on what can be done to help people cope more easily with living with disability and the challenges of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Siyayinqoba Beat It Episode 23 - Handling death and loss caused by AIDS

By now everyone in South Africa will have to deal with a loss of a friend, colleague or a family member to AIDS? Death is something that we do not want to talk about, but we have to talk about it and face the reality that many people are still dying because they are not accessing ARVs soon enough. What should we do when someone close to us pass away? Apart from organising funerals and the stress of covering the cost there is also the emotional pain and suffering. Remembering those who have gone is part of the healing process after the loss of the loved one. We welcome Matshidiso Habana to the support group. Matshidiso is our youth guest today in our discussion between death and loss.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2005 Episode 26 - Nutritional supplements for people living with HIV

This week we spoke about why vitamins and micronutrients are necessary and how much we should take to maintain a balanced diet. To help us discuss these issues, we were joined by Irene Labuschagne from the University of Stellenbosch who works with people living with HIV. Jason ended the show with a few helpful tips on positive living.
Today we are discussing prophylactics and vaccinations. Prophylaxis means to prevent and that is what prophylactics and vaccines do they prevent illness. Antiretrovirals can be used to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of HIV. They can also be used to prevent infection after rape or needle stick injuries to healthcare workers. But what other preventable methods are there that we should know about especially when we start antiretrovirals. With us to discuss this issue is Ullah Mothibi. Doctor Mothibi is from the HIV Unit in the Western Cape Department of Health.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 1 - Injecting drug users

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 2 - Alcohol and HIV

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 3 - Youth and Parents

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 4 - Living with PLWHA

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 5 - Food Gardens

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 6 - Condoms in Schools

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 7 - Meet the support group

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 8 - Children on ARVs

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 9 - Faith Based Communities

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 10 - Water and Sanitation

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 11 - Gender based violence - Lorna Mlofana

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 12 - Tertiary Institutions

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 13 - Gender Violence - Noxolo

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 14 - Circumcision

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 15 - Cervical cancer and HIV

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 16 - Faith-based communities

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 19 - Disseminated TB and HIV

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 22 - Books and media

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!

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 24 - Pregnancy and HIV

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 25 - Teachers and HIV