YOUNG women starting at higher education institutions have been warned against older men who promise lavish lifestyles for sex.

KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane issued the warning as the new academic year gets under way, with the region home to University of Zululand, uMfolozi TVET College, and more.

Simelane cautioned that such relationships carry serious health, social and academic consequences for young women.

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Speaking during the KZN Health Chat multimedia programme on Friday, Simelane said students are lured with mobile phones, hair extensions, alcohol and the illusion of a ‘good life’.

She stressed that significantly older men have no place pursuing teenage students.

“A 27- to 30-year-old man has no business dating an 18 or 19 year old. Those people must go to their contemporaries,” Simelane said.

She also warned about the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, as older partners often have extensive sexual histories.

Unwanted pregnancies, too, can derail students’ academic progress and compromise their futures.

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