Cohabitation fuels HIV/AIDS � Olopeng
Lebogang Baingapi | Friday April 3, 2015 12:10
This was revealed at a bonfire event which brought together the youth, town leadership and The Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Thapelo Olopeng in an informal setup to discuss challenges that put the youth at a risk of getting the virus.
Jwaneng, which has a population of 18,063 people, is said to have an HIV prevalence of 12.8% and females are the most affected with 16.7% and males with 8.5%. During the event men and women were separated to go and discuss issues that affected them separately and give advice to the boy and girl child respectively.
At the women forum, it emerged the standard of living in Jwaneng is high and most women in the town cohabit with the miners to better their living standards. It was revealed that most women who cohabit are at risk of contracting the virus because they fear to stand their ground on condom use because they depend solely on their partners.
High rentals in Jwaneng were pointed out as some of the reasons why youth cohabit. Another issue that emerged was the high rise of teenage pregnancy and defilement cases and most of the perpetrators are men who work in the mine.
It is alleged that those men offer cash and gifts to students in exchange for sex. Miners who work on shifts and leave their children unattended faced with the threat of the unattended children engaging in risky behaviour.
Women also revealed that parents and child communication is vital in these unfortunate times where the pandemic is targeting the youth. Young girls were encouraged to wait for marriage to avoid being used by men who are not prepared to take them as wives.
They were also advised to resist financial pressure that is common in the mining town and learn to live with the little that they earn.
In the men’s group, they were encouraged to stick to one partner to avoid the spread of HIV/AIDS. They, however, pleaded with dikgosi to reduce bogadi (bride price) because it can deter people from getting married, citing financial constraints.
The men pledged their support to their pregnant parnters, and to share information on the pandermic to help government in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Giving his remarks, Olopeng, applauded Jwaneng leadership for the casual forum that allowed the youth to talk about issues that affect them without fear. He said fora of such nature are vital because the youth are free to express themselves while getting advice from the elders. He said life is a precious gift that needs to be treasured.
He stated that his ministry will not exist if the youth continues to be wiped away by the disease. He challenged the royal leadership to use the kgotla as a centre for information dissemination. “I will also like to see the church being instrumental in spreading HIV/AIDS awareness messages”, he added.