Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - May 27, 2007
Claire Keeton

RADIO and TV presenter Redi Direko ran the Two Oceans ultra-marathon with her partner last month. She is as committed to staying the distance when it comes to beating HIV.

"I think that anybody who cares about this country wants to raise HIV awareness and demystify testing," she says.

"When you know one person who has HIV, the stats do not matter.

"When you see old school friends and people younger than you dying, that calls for a total mind-shift when it comes to relationships because that is where it spreads most."

The 29-year-old Talk Radio 702 presenter says: "When you are sexually involved with somebody, you hold their lives in your hands.

"Partners who cheat, go back to their partners and have sex without condoms because they are afraid of telling the truth and destabilising the relationship - that is how HIV spreads."

Direko trusts her partner of more than two years but they still talk regularly about the risks of HIV infection.

"I say to my partner all the time, and this is a terrible conversation to have: 'If something happened I'd rather that you insist on a condom because you've been unfaithful than going quietly along.' He is a doctor so he sees all of this."

She urges people to level with their partners if they are unfaithful, and not to glorify adultery or infidelity.

Direko's participation in the Each One Reach Five campaign is the second time in her broadcasting career that she has become publicly involved in the issue. The first was on December 1 2003 when, as an SABC TV presenter, she had an HIV test in public in Bloemfontein for World Aids Day.

This time around, prominent businessman Moss Mashishi approached her to be one of his five volunteers for the Sunday Times's Each One Reach Five campaign.

"His wife's one of my best friends and I did not even wait for him to finish before I said 'yes'. I didn't even think about consulting my boyfriend as this was my decision.

"When he saw my name in the Sunday Times he said: 'Well done, I'm so proud of you.'"

Former First Lady Graca Machel, who is championing the campaign, approached Mashishi as one of her nominees. The five people Direko has enlisted are:

# 702 presenter Tom London;

# 702 presenter Aki Anastasiou;

# SABC and 94.7 Highveld Stereo newsreader Uveka Rangappa;

# 702 presenter and former Big Brother contestant Leigh Bennie; and

# Sunday Times political writer Moipone Malefane.

Direko will follow up with her group to make sure they have had their HIV tests, and identified another five, thereby reaching 25 more volunteers and through them another 125 people.

Direko, who was born in Soweto, says HIV has had an impact on too many people she knows.

"I have a cousin who died of Aids and until the day he died he continued to believe it was something he ate. While he was still alive his wife believed the same, but now she has come to terms with HIV.

"The last time I saw her, she was speaking about it, unprovoked. She said that she was eating well and wanted to live long enough to see her children through high school."

In Direko's experience people are opening up about HIV.

"I saw someone who is living with the disease. When I visited her she was looking trim, well but slender, and I did not know she was HIV-positive. She told me.

"Next time I saw her she had embraced her situation further. She had gained weight and was talking about HIV."

In her job, Direko comes across listeners with contrasting attitudes to the disease: those who know and accept their status; and those who are still ignorant and living recklessly as they feel fatalistic about dying.

"I'm passionate about broadcasting because it is so unpredictable. We are exposed to people as they really are because when you open the lines, the moment is not rehearsed. I think my work gives me a window on South Africans and who they are," she says.

In addition to talk radio, she is enjoying studying towards a master's degree in literature, through the University of Johannesburg. She already has an honours degree in social sciences.

Direko did her HIV test in the 702 studio. This Orlando Pirates diehard says she doesn't like needles, but adds: "I was quite comfortable because I was in warm, professional hands, number one. And number two, for me this is much bigger than having your finger pricked. Knowing my status could save my life and the lives of those around me.

"I was confident I was doing the right thing so it was not daunting. What is daunting is not knowing your status and living in ignorance."

HOW TO BE AN HIV HERO

TAKE an HIV test and get five other people to do the same. Make it clear that no one has to disclose their results.

Let us know why you decided to join the campaign and how you felt when you took the test. We would welcome any stories about experiences that you have while participating in the campaign. Send your stories - with pictures, if possible - to reach5@sundaytimes.co.za

Send us your name and the names of your five people so that we can publish a list of South Africans who have taken part. Please note: we do not want to know the results of any test.

You can get tested at your doctor or at your local clinic.

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