Media Watch

Jailed for spreading HIV!

In a landmark ruling, a court found a 44-year-old man guilty of attempted murder after he knowingly spread HIV.

Nzimane Tshabalala was sentenced to eight years in jail by the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates Court last week.

Party with caution this summer

Party season is coming up, which means it's time to let your hair down, forget the troubles of the past year and just have a good time with your friends and colleagues.

There's nothing wrong with that, but remember to be sensible and safeguard your health. Drinking and eating too much may lead to regret when all the partying is over.

Bala UNAids envoy

With gender inequality and the HIV-Aids pandemic still among major issues affecting young people today, local R&B muso Loyiso Bala has a tough job ahead of him following his appointment as the national goodwill ambassador for the UN Programme on HIV-Aids.

The singer's key role will be to inspire young people to test for HIV and to make informed decisions and to speak more about "these issues to inspire others to be more aware about HIV-Aids.

Should my man be circumcised?

It is over 200 years since King Shaka Zulu banned the circumcision of young Zulu men, which had been the practice until then. This, history teaches us, was because the three-month ukusoka procedure - during which the youths went off to entabeni (the mountain) to learn how to live as adult men, and to be circumcised -robbed him of his fittest and finest warriors until they returned to their homes again.

In 2009, however, King Goodwill Zwelithini announced that male circumcision was to be reintroduced among the Zulu community. His statement was met with some surprise, but it was revealed that his ruling was in response to studies that had shown that circumcised men are far less likely to become infected with HIV/Aids than is the case with uncircumcised men.

Bring back the lost girls

In the true spirit of Friday's second annual International Day of the Girl Child we're issuing a very specific call to action: we must do more to help young women in eastern and Southern Africa to avoid the disproportionately higher risk they face of being infected with HIV and dying of Aids.

South Africa is at the forefront of new HIV prevention technologies research, including the quest for effective microbicides and HIV vaccines.

Higher education critical in Aids fight

AIDS fatigue caused by yet more messages that contain words like "abstain, be faithful and condomise", is forcing higher-education institutions to become more creative.

Speaking at the University of Johannesburg's (0UJ) annual HIV and AIDS colloquium yesterday, Mocke Jansen van Veuren, an independent artist, researcher and educator, said there was "this incredible resistance slackness" from students that came when HIV and Aids were brought into the curriculum content.

HIV-positive people find each other on dating site

A dating website for people who are HIV-positive has been connecting individuals from around the country - with some even finding true love.

The Positive Connection which was founded by Ben Sassman of Gauteng, has more than 267 members.

120 years for spreading HIV

A Zimbabwean man living illegally in the US has been sentenced to 120 years in jail for knowingly infecting four Texas women with HIV, reports newzimbabwe.com.

Derick Nhekairo was convicted after pleading guilty to multiple charges that included aggravated assault.

SA could turn dread into capital

In 2006 the foreign ministers of Brazil, France, Indonesia, Norway, Senegal, South Africa and Thailand launched the global health and foreign policy initiative.

In March 2007 they issued the Oslo ministerial declaration, stating that "health is the most important, yet still broadly neglected, long-term foreign policy issue of our time".

South Africa can build foreign policy influence around global health in general and Aids specifically to regain some of the influence and credibility that we lost due to our diplomatic inconsistencies and the Thabo Mbeki administration's Aids denialism.

HIV+ counsellor is jailed for unsafe sex

The North Gauteng High Court has confirmed a former Aids counsellor's conviction of attempted murder and six-year prison sentence for having unprotected sex with his girlfriend.

A Piet Retief magistrate found Lovers Phiri guilty of attempted murder because he had unprotected sex with his partner while he knew he was HIV-positive, but never told her about his status.