Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - July 22, 2007
Claire Keeton

'What will I tell my children when they ask what I did in the war against Aids?' asks Michael Mol

Michael Mol, a medical doctor who is best known as a TV presenter, urges every South African to act now to stop HIV.

"We have an opportunity now to make a dent in the HIV epidemic. Our generation is in the midst of it," he said.

"When my kids ask me one day: 'What did you do to stop HIV?', I want to be able to tell them about my contribution."

One such step for the former Mr South Africa and Top Billing co-anchor is joining the Each One Reach Five campaign, which encourages South Africans to know their HIV status.

Top Billing producer and former presenter Basetsana Kumalo recruited him to the campaign. Graca Machel had invited her to join.

Mol said: "People need to do HIV tests and we need to stem the tide of HIV. At the moment we are pulling people out of the river with antiretrovirals - which work brilliantly - but we must stop the flow of infection."

Mol insists that South Africa needs more than one approach to slow down the infection rate and win against HIV.

"Antiretrovirals are needed and they are effective, but it's a multifaceted problem and we need additional approaches like good nutrition," said Mol, who was quick to distance himself from vitamin enthusiasts.

"We have to tread carefully with nutrition and politics, as we don't want to be painted with the same brush and be summarily dismissed as lunatic fringe."

Mol moved from Cape Town to Johannesburg to become the CEO of Paragon Health.

Mol's company is conducting clinical research into whether a brand of supplements could benefit people with HIV.

"We have approached the Medicines Control Council and are setting up three clinical trial sites," he said .

Mol highlighted the slogan, "HIV is a life sentence; HIV is not a death sentence."

He is passionate about wanting to make a difference in his lifetime, and feels that is one of the advantages of being on the small screen.

"I have been given a platform for a reason and want to use it. As a doctor you work one-on-one. With this platform you can reach so many people in a bigger, different way."

After he won Mr South Africa, Mol made an effort to keep practising as a doctor and presenting on TV.

"The TV obligation became too much for me so I had to choose one or the other.

"I will always have my degree and training, so I decided to try TV for a bit and have stuck with it. It has been a great joy."

Mol said he admired legendary musician Bono, who uses his worldwide fame "to change the planet".

"I'm still relatively new here but I think it will be a long season," he says.

"My wife Jacqui misses Cape Town but my kids are fine. Rachael is four and Joshua is seven and the move allows me to spend more time with the family."

Mol has built a climbing wall at his Johannesburg home and hopes to explore rock climbing in the region.

He is no stranger to adrenaline, having scuba-dived beneath the ice in a frozen lake, sky-dived out of a hot air balloon and run with the bulls in Pamplona.

His volunteers are former Miss South Africa Amy Kleynhans, TV and radio presenter Ursula Stapelveldt, soapie star and TV presenter Nico Panagio , philanthropist and The Deal editor Taweni Xaba, and chairman of Health Products Association Dr Alan Tomlinson.

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 nominees 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 anyone's test.

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

Share your story

Everyone Knows Someone is a Sunday Times campaign to encourage people to know their HIV status, and is aimed at destigmatising the infection.

We publish the personal experiences (and, where the writer feels comfortable, photos) of people in South Africa living with HIV or caring for loved ones with the virus. The stories appear in the newspaper or on our website. We will use as many as we can.

E-mail your story to: Everyone knows@sundaytimes.co.za or fax it to 011-280-5151

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