KHOPOTSO: It is often said that one’€™s worst enemy is oneself. This can be particularly true for men. If they are not a threat to others men can be a danger to themselves. Research shows that compared to women, men would not ordinarily seek medical help for their ailments. A survey of 2 500 men and women between age 15 -34 conducted in Soweto in 2005 reveals that just over a quarter of men had been tested for HIV, compared to 55% of women in the same age group. Furthermore, observations are that only a few men participate in health research programmes. For example, there are more female participants in HIV vaccine trials than there are men. Thirty-six year old Vusi Mahamba is a volunteer at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital site, in Soweto, one of two South African sites conducting these trials.      

VUSI MAHAMBA: We are very few. Out of 135, I think we are 15 men. The rest are ladies.

KHOPOTSO: Vusi is battling to understand why men are such reluctant participants.

VUSI MAHAMBA: I think they were the most participants before 2000. So, now they are relaxing. That is why ladies are taking over’€¦ They worked very hard for many, many years. I’€™m talking about men of South Africa’€¦ But now, the ladies are not relaxing now.  

KHOPOTSO: The notion of male participation fatigue has some resonance with Lawrence Ndou, a project co-ordinator for Imbizo, a health counselling and advice service for men.

LAWRENCE NDOU: Men have been at the fore-front of the struggle against apartheid. Why now? Why do they fall backward? Let’€™s get men involved.

KHOPOTSO: Twenty-five year old Pumlani Mzangwa is one young man who is involved in programmes aimed at reducing gender-based violence and creating awareness amongst men about the spread of HIV and AIDS. He’€™s been facilitator for HOPE Worldwide’€™s Men as Partners programme for three years now. This has helped him gain insight into the male psyche on gender-based violence and HIV issues.        

PUMLANI MZANGWA: Most men feel disempowered by the fact that we as programmes preach women’€™s rights, and so on and so forth. So, most men feel disempowered.

And that’€™s not what we are saying. What we are saying as men we’€™re saying: ‘€œLet’€™s share equally with our partners, our sisters, and so on’€. We are saying as men ‘€œthere are avenues that men can use to make sure that you gain that inner strength or ability to make sure that you share that power’€. Most men don’€™t talk about it. For them it becomes difficult to deal with these issues.

KHOPOTSO: In general terms men are viewed as part of the problem when it comes to the spread of HIV and other social ills. The challenge is to turn that around and make men part of the solution. Here’€™s Mbulelo Botha, co-ordinator of the South African Men’€™s Forum.

MBULELO BOTHA: There are no easy answers and there are no easy solutions. That is why we have to persevere. We have to go on. The patience then becomes an important ingredient in this work because we’€™re talking of a history of men who have never been exposed to things such as love, compassion. Now, suddenly we’€™re trying to change the wheel. What we’€™re saying is that it’€™s possible. And it’€™s achievable’€¦ I must say that it’€™s going to be not a short-term thing. It’€™s going to be long-term. All we have to do, all of us, is to say that men must not be viewed as only perpetrators and be demonised. But they must also be taken on board so that they can realise that it’€™s important for them to be part of this global change to stop HIV/AIDS and violence against women.

KHOPOTSO: Last weekend the national Department of Health published its report on the HIV and Syphilis antenatal sero-prevalence survey for 2004. It found that there is an increase of HIV infection among women in the age group 25 – 34. The Department concludes that this could be as a result of women growing to older age groups and the fact that the majority of women start bearing children around that age. Once again, that points to the role of men in the increasing HIV prevalence rates among women. If men like Mbulelo Botha, Pumlani Mzangwa and Vusi Mahamba do exist, then there should be plenty of South African males who also want to change the male identity from the violent, abusive, uncaring, arrogant image by which it is almost readily known. The question is: where are they to be found?            

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