2009 COMMUNITY JOURNALISTS

The Community Journalists supply intimate, youthful insight into both social and medical aspects of HIV/AIDS transmission. Their inclusion in the show makes it possible to spend time seeking out stories, finding people who are happy to share often very personal insights and experiences with the hundreds of thousands of Siyayinqoba Beat It! viewers. The strength of the show has always been in using personal experience to take us to solid, scientifically informed conclusions about how to beat the challenges of the epidemic. The Community Journalists have taken the show to a higher level in this mission.

Nokubonga Yawa

When Nokubonga was pregnant in 2003, she went for an HIV test and tested positive. At that time she was 15 years old. After finding out her status, she was told about the support group for PMTCT. In this support group she received support from other HIV positive mothers. When she was 8 months pregnant, she was able to take AZT and her baby was born HIV negative. Her healthy little girl is now 5 years old. Nokubonga is a TAC volunteer working as a peer educator at Nolungile Youth Clinic. She works with the youth and encourages them to get tested. She also conducts counselling for those who are HIV positive, to encourage and educate them about living with HIV.

The people that she works with in the clinic are starting their treatment by taking ARV's, or are in the waiting list. As a young person who has also received counselling, accepted her status and is living with HIV, she is a role model to the community. She is making a difference in this community, and is a living example of the fact that a person who is HIV positive can achieve his or her dreams, be able to live healthy and make a difference in one's community. As a young person who is living openly with HIV and taking her treatment, sharing her story makes them feel better and also see that there is hope after being diagnosed with HIV. She is continuing with her education and is currently doing grade 10 at Mpumalanga Adult Centre. Her short term dream is to complete grade 12 and later further her studies.

Bongekile ‘Nunu' Ntuli

My name is Bongekile Ntuli AKA Nunu from Tembisa. I am a Human Rights and HIV activist. Before I became a Community Journalist for Siyayinqoba, I was a Treatment Literacy Practitioner for TAC and contributed to their newsletter. I write poetry as a way of passing different messages.

Masizole Gonyela

My name is Masizole Gonyela from Queenstown, Eastern Cape. I have been a health (HIV/Aids) and human rights activist for 6 years now. I chose this path, not because I wanted to be popular, but because I felt I had a social responsibility towards my community. A lot of people are dying in front of my eyes and nobody was speaking out about it. I wanted to help and bring about change in my community. In the previous years I have worked with a number of NGO's, including TAC, as a Treatment Literacy trainer, mainly running HIV/Aids trainings and public awareness campaigns.

Wendy Kumalo

Wendy "Kumar" Kumalo is a trained journalist by profession who gets her inspiration from telling everyday stories of ordinary people, who through courage overcome their challenges. Hailing from the majestic falls of Howick in Pietermaritzburg, Wendy is a self-driven individual who believes that everything is possible with Jehovah God.

Luvuyo Nibe

Luvuyo Nibe was born in Port Elizabeth. He applied to become a Community Journalist because he enjoys communicating with people about their problems and helping them find solutions. Being a Siyayinqoba Beat It! CJ has given him the opportunity to inform people about the danger of HIV and other diseases. It also allows him to help others face and admit their problems and challenges. Being a CJ has also boosted his confidence because the job requires him to be in contact with people all the time.

Themba Baleni  grew up in a small town called Indwe, in the Eastern Cape. He studied towards a film course at the Community Video Education Trust (CVET) in Cape Town.  His work experience, in the film industry,  began at Community Health Media Trust (CHMT) as a cable basher , sound assistant and camera assistant. He worked on a short documentary called "Youth for change" produced by CHMT. He joins the Community Journalist team to help those who can't voice out their stories. Themba is so passionate to tell stories through art and media. Together we can fight this pandemic of HIV/AIDS.

Sibongile Mashele

Sibongile Mashele, a 23 year old girl who comes from the green mountains of Mpumalanga in Nelspruit. She has been an Aids activist since 2003 and through her activism she has been a treatment literacy practitioner to a community journalist for TAC newsletter and no she is a community journalist for Siyayinqoba beat it for 2009. Her overall goal is to change the perception of people about HIV and people living with HIV, that's the reason why she got herself involved in the HIV struggle. She strongly believes in people getting up and doing things for themselves.

Nobantu Kumalo

I was born and raised in KZN, Ladysmith. From an early age, I found that I was interested in the passing of information. I wanted to work for Siyayinqoba Beat It! because issues surrounding HIV/AIDS are highly important to me, as I have been affected by the virus. I hope that being part of Siyayinqoba will further my knowledge about HIV and feed me information about the latest developments in HIV research. When not indulging in life's temptations, I read newspapers and am a serious sports lover.