THAMI MTHEMBU

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! 2006 Ep. 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 Ep. 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 Ep. 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 Ep. 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 Ep. 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 Ep. 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 Ep. 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 Ep. 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 Ep. 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 Ep. 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 Ep. 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 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 17 - HIV communication strategies

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.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 20 - ARV Side Effects

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 26 - VCT or routine testing?

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.