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Kabokweni, Gauteng - Jeffrey Khoza is a 22 year old who says he has five girlfriends and is trying for a sixth. His girlfriends are aged 17 to 20. Why so many? Well it's a game to him, "I enjoy that kind of life" he says - but for how much longer can he do so? Clearly the message about the risk of having many partners hasn't reached Jeffrey yet. Jeffrey is categorical that it's "safety first" and that he uses condoms every time. Otherwise "I could get AIDS and other diseases". Also, he doesn't want to end up with an "unwanted pregnancy and I'm not ready to have a child yet". And it's not just him; most of Jeffrey's crew of guys he hangs out with also have many partners. Talking to the guys, there is a high awareness of the need to use condoms. But as one of them says, not all of them use condoms all the time. If one of the guys gets HIV there is a chance that he may pass it to one of the girls and the whole posse could become infected in this way. While the commitment to using condoms is good, reducing the number of partners would reduce their risk of getting HIV.
Multiple Partners
In fact, this is exactly what happened to Aubrey Mncameni of Khayelitsha. He remembers how when he was younger it was easy to have many girlfriends. Aubrey had many girlfriends in different places - in Site B, Ilitha Park, and other sections. "I wasn't bothered with using protection," he says. When he would go drinking with the guys "we didn't always carry condoms". Sometimes at the tavern he would meet a girl and have a "quickie" with her in the car. Eventually, Aubrey tested HIV positive. His reaction was that he had expected it. Since his diagnosis Aubrey has become very condom conscious and now always uses protection. He has experienced the blame and pain that follows for former partners accusing each other when one of them tests positive.
HIV+ from Multiple Partners
So having many sexual partners is quite common in South Africa. Neliswa Ndamane works with school learners to help them understand the risks and make better choices in life. She explains how people who have more than one partner at a time are part of a sexual network. If one person in that network becomes infected with HIV it can be passed on to others in the network. When asked why people have more than one partner, a young man says he thinks it's because "one can't eat samp forever, I also want rice and other things". A young woman says that the drive to have many partners also comes from the girls. If a girl comes from a poor background and cannot get a lot of things at home, then she may decide to have a lot of partners who will buy her stuff. Another young man says that when there is stress in a marriage, the partners may seek a partner outside to "relieve the stress". Another says, when you are part of a group of guys there is competition to get many girls "because you want to be known as a player". Everyone is aware of the need to use condoms, but recognise that this often doesn't happen. Having one partner is the only way to reduce risk and prevent HIV, STIs and unwanted pregnancies.
Sexual Networks
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