Nawaal Deane and Ntuthuko Maphumulo Sexually active youth in Gauteng are the most responsible when it comes to preventing the spread of HIV, while the youth in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal are the country’s most promiscuous and ill-informed about the pandemic.
The Beyond Awareness Campaign investigation shows a high percentage of Gauteng youth recognise the importance of using a condom. Less than half of the youth interviewed in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape considered using condoms. In Northern Province tertiary institutions, 85% of students use condoms. Similarly 82% of the people from the Cape Flats suburb Rocklands agreed that condoms are necessary. Condoms are mainly purchased by Gauteng students at chemists or general shops. Rural areas do not have shops that sell condoms but free condoms are supposed to be easily available at the clinics. The rural youth cited embarrassment as the main deterrent to acquiring condoms. In urban areas there were complaints of expired condoms distributed at some centres and also dissatisfaction about the quality of condoms distributed at clinics – “smelly”, “too thick” and “inclined to tear” were some of the complaints frequently raised. The report found that Gauteng youth are more likely to openly discuss sexual matters with their parents in comparison to rural youth, who consider the topic taboo. Attitudes towards sex and HIV are constantly challenged in urban areas with aggressive media campaigns. Youth in the Eastern Cape still stigmatise people living with Aids and are uncomfortable talking to parents and friends about HIV and sex. Overall most youth seem to prefer to speak to people their own age about sex.