Do you know your lover’s lovers?

Dare we say ‘a repeat we have been waiting for?’ A repeat of Intersexions is happening on SABC1 Fridays at 20h30 starting 22 July 2011.

Intersexions is a hard-hitting, innovative drama series that has 25 separate but interlinked episodes. Intersexions examines issues about love, sex and relationships and how they can have heartbreaking and physically devastating, consequences.

Intersexions is an episodic educational drama series that shows how our lives intersect and criss-cross with others’ in ways we don’t even know about. As soon as we become sexually active, we are immediately locked into a human web with complete strangers.

From the opening episode the series goes back in time, revealing the complicated sexual network set in motion with Mandisa and DJ Mo’s affair five years earlier. Viewers experience the lives of the different characters that place them at risk of contracting HIV.

The series has 68 leading actors; hundreds of locations around the country, 25 individual stories all exploring relationships across age, class, sexual orientation and race.

Intersexions does not judge; it simply tells stories that show how the risk of being infected with HIV is always waiting for an opportunity to take root. We can minimise infection by becoming more conscious of our sexual choices and our everyday decisions.

Intersexions educates us that the only way we can protect ourselves, our loved ones and even those we have never met, is by being honest with each other, making serious decisions about how we live our lives and by all being aware of the obvious and not-so-obvious intersections in the greater human network.

Intersexions is produced by Curious Pictures, in partnership with Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa (JHHESA) and SABC Education, with funding from USAID and PEPFAR.

For further details, suggestions and comments, e-mail us at interxisions@sabc.co.za.

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Aaron Moloisi - Shifting on SABC1

Aaron Moloisi, co-presenter of Shift screened on SABC1 Mondays to Wednesdays from 13h30 to 14h30 shares a little about himself. Born in Ga-Dikgale near Polokwane in Limpopo he grew up with his cousins under the guidance and love of their grandmother.

“I was raised by my grandmother Phefi who taught us independence at a very young age. It was a busy household with healthy competition between siblings which made me a natural competitor. My late grandmother is my inspiration; she instilled a leadership spirit in her kids and grandkids. She always reminded us to strive for the best in life” says Aaron.

When little, Aaron wanted to be a medical doctor and everyone in the family believed he would be the first doctor in the village. From grade one to grade ten; he always came first in class. The last two years of school was tough but Aaron wasn’t far behind.

After completing matric, Aaron left Limpopo for the Eastern Cape to attend the University of Fort Hare, “better known as the University of Leaders because of graduates like Nelson Mandela and Tim Modise who studied there.”

At the age of 21 Aaron successfully completed a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology. He was hoping to study medicine afterwards but in his final year of study he got a job at an IT company through a graduate placement programme. “I came in the top 15 of South Africa’s best IT students in 2000 and made headlines in the IT industry for being the first black student at Computer Configurations Holdings with a chemical background to be employed in IT.”

He worked there for two years and then got bored. He felt he wanted something more challenging and thought of television. In 2002 Aaron signed up with an agent and after a couple of months, was called to audition as a presenter for the youth show Take 5. “This was my first TV audition so you can imagine my surprise when I was called back after a couple of weeks to start the job! The excitement was overwhelming and then, just three months into being on Take 5 on SABC1 I was asked to join the team of The Big Question, a talk show on SABC2 as a field reporter dealing with morality issues.”

The rest, as they say is History. Aaron has maintained a name for himself in the industry. His role as one of the anchors on Shift is one of the best choices he has made. “Shift is the only television show I know of with the ability to reach multicultural audiences live and interactive in almost all official languages.”

Aaron’s music preference is soul, classical and gospel. He doesn’t have a favourite song but anything by Luther Vandross, Patti Labelle or Brenda Fassie would make the top of his charts. He enjoys musicals and true-life dramas. His favourite movie stars are Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Kgoroge and his cousin Putla Sehlapelo. He listens to Talk Radio 702.

People who undermine others and are judgmental make Aaron angry. He is inclined to cry when humbled or when he is too happy. What he doesn’t like about himself is that he is inclined to procrastinate a lot and that drives him mad. The three things he knows are ‘for sure’ in life are “taxes, disappointments and death.”

One of his unfulfilled ambitions is “to have my own television channel that will focus on celebrating us as a people and telling authentic African stories with loads and loads of entertainment.”

In his leisure time Aaron spends time with friends and family that are important in his life. He doesn’t have regrets, “I move on very quickly from the not so good experiences, regrets harbour negative energy” and if granted one wish it would be “happiness for everyone.”

Aaron considers himself a leader in the Industry because “leaders are those who inspire, influence and contribute to improvement and change, I consider myself one of them.”

Aaron speaks many SA languages and is proud to be able to represent a huge majority of our nation’s people. “I’m Pedi but I speak Sesotho, Setswana, IsiZulu, isiXhosa, a bit of Xitsonga and Tshivenda.”

See more of Aaron on SABC1 Mondays to Wednesdays at 13h30 on Shift, an SABC Education programme that informs, inspires and entertains. Shift provides a forum for discussions on various subjects; finance, self-esteem, entrepreneurship, empowerment, health, success stories, parenting, gender, education, tourism, environment, technology, arts, culture and social issues. Shift gets viewers thinking and talking about shifting mindsets and changing attitudes.

For further details, suggestions and comments, e-mail us at shift@sabc.co.za.

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A New Season of Rivoningo on SABC2

Starting on Thursday 21st July on SABC2 at 10h30 the third series of Rivoningo is full of literacy and numeracy in an edutainment format.

“Rivoningo is a magazine show that supports learning skills of children. We focus on equipping learners with values and attitudes needed for development in the foundation phase. We prepare viewers to deal with day-to-day issues outside the classroom which influence what happens in classrooms and learning centres” explains Tshilidzi Davhana, commissioning editor at SABC Education’s formal education unit.

Keke and Lelo, the robots in Rivoningo screened on SABC2 Mondays to Fridays at 10h30 bring excitement into the basic skills of reading and writing. The lovable friendly robots from outer space are playing a bigger role in this series. They are now able to walk, drag objects around and even do flips in the air.

“This series, for young and old is improved in that filming takes place in Limpopo, North-West and Mpumalanga and not only Gauteng as was the case with series one and two. This gives us the opportunity to share South Africa’s beautiful geography and interact with more children across the country giving them a voice nationally” adds Tshilidzi.

By using the latest technology, the animation in Rivoningo enhances the art of storytelling. Stories are more detailed using pictures and a voice-over, graphics, brain teasers and jokes are pleasant life experiences. Lelo and Keke pay surprise visits to schools.

SABC2’s publicity manager Zandile Nkonyeni says “Rivoningo has become more fantastical for children; the world of song in the show s gives children a feeling of being in a magical world of their own. Schools are given the opportunity to invite the robots to their classroom by contacting the show on email rivoningo@sabc.co.za or sms 33017”.

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Shift with Rhulani Baloyi

Rhulani Baloyi, born in a small rural village Elim, near Louis Trichardt in Limpopo shares a little about herself. She is co-presenter of Shift screened on SABC1 Mondays to Wednesdays from 13h30 to 14h30. Shift gets viewers thinking and talking about shifting mindsets and changing attitudes.

“From grade one to matric I attended Siloe, a school in Limpopo for the blind and partially sighted. The Catholic Church influenced the school founded by them and the order of the day was to attend church twice a day, mass in the morning and rosary recitation in the evening”.

At school Rhulani enjoyed asking all the questions and getting answers from the teachers. She loved to read to her classmates and worked hard because she wanted to leave school the first chance she got. She had friends at school but was not a groupie; she preferred to operate on her own, making independent decisions and following her heart.

“I wasn’t a conformist; I was the one to defy the rules. My favourite subjects were English and History. I wanted to be a teacher because I thought teachers knew everything and had authority in whatever they did. Maybe it was also because my late mum and granddad were teachers.”

Rhulani is the first-born child of six children. She has two brothers who are twins and three sisters. She grew up mostly with her maternal grandparents. She says “my grandfather influenced who I am today. I'm told that at the age of four when taken to boarding school and my grandma was very disapproving. My Granddad told her and my mum that they must let go and said ‘we never know what this child will be when she grows up’. My Granddad was an avid believer in education and wanted us to learn English from English-speaking people.”

Rhulani studied and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at Wits University; she says “I measured in Sociology, English and Religious Studies. After that I completed a Higher Education Diploma which was my mum's idea, she said I needed something to fall back on, in case my career in broadcasting didn't take off. Who knows, maybe one day I might be a teacher!”

One of the highlights of Rhulani’s career as a journalist is the time a soft drink maker reported her to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission. The complaint was about a story she covered on TV when a customer found a condom in an unopened soft drink bottle. A mugging at gunpoint while covering a story in Soweto is one of her lows.

Among others Rhulani received a PANSLAB award for multilingualism on Shift and the prestigious CityPress/Rapport Women's Achievement Award. Rhulani is also an experienced court reporter, she says “I enjoyed those days, serial killers and other murderers fascinated me, I always tried to understand what made them do what they do.”

Rhulani listens to African jazz; her favourite musicians include Oliver Mtukudzi, Thandiswa Mazwayi and Hugh Masekela. She has some reggae moments with her favourites, Jimmy Cliffe and Bob Marley. Depending on her mood a little soul is okay and after a long day at work, something loud and fast is good. Sundays she listens to Gospel music.

Rhulani is a light sleeper and doesn’t like to be woken up in the middle of the night by trivial phone calls. People who pass remarks about her blindness, assuming she can't hear what they are saying annoy her. She would like to travel the world, she has been to Australia and America, and hopes to visit the Caribbean, attend the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup and visit England during their summer.

Something Rhulani doesn’t like about herself is that she sometimes speaks her mind and it hurts others, she thinks she has to learn to shut up. Failure and being broke scare Rhulani, if granted a wish it would be to be able to see again, this time with full sight.

In her leisure time Rhulani reads, her favourite book is ‘Yesterday I cried’ by Ianal Vansand. She enjoys authors John Gresham, Patricia Cornwell and James Peterson. White Wedding is Rhulani’s favourite movie and as a blind person she appreciated the narration of Ray Charles’ life because she could associate with most of it. Rhulani loves SA soapies, Isidingo is her best and she enjoys the crime and investigation channel.

See more of Rhulani on SABC1 Mondays to Wednesdays at 13h30 on Shift, an SABC Education programme that informs, inspires and entertains. Shift provides a forum for discussions on various subjects; finance, self-esteem, entrepreneurship, empowerment, health, success stories, parenting, gender, education, tourism, environment, technology, arts, culture and social issues.

For further details, suggestions and comments, e-mail us at shift@sabc.co.za.

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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" says Madiba.

This day of 18 July 2011 is celebrated by many around the world as Nelson Mandela International Day. He turns 93rd as he celebrate his birthday.

The Nelson Mandela International Day was launch by the United Nations to honour Mandela's contributions to the creation of a democratic South Africa. The Day was - launched in 2009. The Madiba Day calls on people to donate 67 minutes of their time to help those in need.

Send you comments and suggestions on the quote on "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" says Madiba. Do you subscribe with the actual messaging of the articulation? Share your thoughts with us.

SABC Education digital media division, e-mail at socialmedia@sabc.co.za.

Call for 67 minutes. Make Every Day a Mandela Day

SABC Education urged all of its subscribers to Take Action. Inspire Change. Make Every Day a Mandela Day.

Join us in our Educational Blog to share with us your 67 minutes.

SABC Education digital media division, e-mail at socialmedia@sabc.co.za.