17 Nov 2013

A study has indicated that multiple concurrent partners (MCPs) spread HIV at a high rate.

Speaking at MCPs Pitso organised by the police on Thursday, November 14, a member of True Men Trust, Mr Mooketsi Mbisana said Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho hadproblems of MCPs.

In Botswana, he said, culture played a role in contributing to MCPs, saying that in the olden days some married men who worked at the mines had concubines at their places of work and even when they came back home to find their wives pregnant, they would not mind.

Mr Mbisana said nowadays, the population mobility, transfers of partners, peer pressure, alcohol and drug abuse were contributory factors to MCPs.

He urged police officers to beak the chain, saying doing so reduced the chances of getting HIV. “If you are already HIV positive, breaking the chain will help you control the virus as you will avoid re-infection,” he said.

Senior Superintendent Kobedi Dintwe encouraged the police officers to stick to one partner in order to reduce the chances of getting and spreading sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

He also urged men to go for safe male circumcision (SMC) and to always seek medical assistance well in time.The district crime intelligence officer, Superintendent Eatametse Olopeng said life was like a journey and therefore called on people to be cautious and look out for warning signs to avoid being victims.

He said there was need for people to be focused and to understand the journey and how they wanted to reach the destination. Mr Olopeng attributed the increase in numbers of people who were raped by their ex-lovers to lack of focus.

Earlier on, one of the organisers of the pitso, Constable Tsholofelo Rapula said the objective of the event was to talk about the dangers of MCPs, encourage officers to break the chain and adopt safer sexual practices and equip each other with knowledge of MCPs in order to reduce HIV infections. ENDS