6

1 in 3 South African women between the ages of 20-34 years is 

HIV positive

Violence and injury
>South Africa has more than double 

the rate of violence and injury 

compared to the global average

OurcountryalsohasoneofthehighestratesofHIV
/AIDSintheworld(33%inAfricanwomen20-34years

5

).

Inaddition,theHIVprevalencerateamongstouryoung
women(15-24years)isfivetimesgreaterthanthatoftheir
malepeers

6

.

InarecentHSRCstudy,30%ofthisagegrouphave
admittedtohavingpartnersmorethan5yearstheirsenior.
ThisiscolloquiallyreferredtoastheSugar-daddy
syndrome,inwhichgirlsareluredintorelationshipswith

oldermen–whoaremorelikelytobeHIVpositive–and
exchangesexualfavoursformaterialgoods,suchascell
phones,hairweavesandclothes.

In2011,

morethan90000schoolgirls

fellpregnantinSouthAfrica

and

approximately

77000hadabortions,

at

ourpublichealthfacilities

7

.

Non-communicable diseases
>South Africa has 2-3 times the 

burden of chronic diseases, such 

as diabetes and hypertension 

compared to other developing 

countries

Maternal, newborn & child health
>South Africa has 2-3 times greater 

rates of maternal and child 

diseases than other comparable 

countries

Women are at the centre of the 

four colliding epidemics 

in South Africa

2 

SouthAfricanwomenareexcessivelyaffectedby4differentepidemics–HIV/AIDSandTB,maternalhealth,non-
communicablediseases(e.g.diabetesandhypertension)andviolenceandinjury.

HIV/AIDS and TB 
>South Africa has more than 23 

times the global average rate of 

HIV/AIDS and more than 7 times 

the global average disease burden 

of TB