Tshwane is among the top five districts with a high burden of HIV in South Africa.

“The district has an HIV prevalence of 13.1% among people aged 15 and 49 years in Gauteng,” said Tshwane Health MMC councillor Rina Marx.

This was revealed during the Gauteng Aids Council roadshow last week at the health MMC’s offices.

Marx said that some of the key drivers of new HIV infections include:

• Early sexual activity among the youth
• Gender-based violence
• Incorrect, inconsistent, and low condom use
• Multiple concurrent sexual partners
• High viral load due to poor adherence to treatment

During the roadshow, the Tshwane HIV/Aids response team provided an overview of the city’s implementation of the HIV, TB, and STI multisectoral response.

Their response included its community-driven approach, which includes door-to-door educational campaigns.

The city also facilitates access to services, clinics, NGOs, and other government departments.

“The city’s focus on this issue remains crucial,” said Marx.

She said the metro was making steady progress towards re-establishing an active Tshwane Metro Aids Council.

This will contribute to the promotion of leadership and shared accountability for sustainable responses to HIV, TB, and STIs by the government, labour, civil society, the private sector, and development partners.

“I want to give assurances that the city remains committed to implementing the national strategic plan and provincial implementation plan (PIP) in full.

“These plans play an important role in guiding the response to HIV, TB, and STIs across the different spheres of government,” said Marx.