TOP DOGS AIDS RATES STILL PUZZLES

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My days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as hearth .My heart is smitten and withered like grass , so that I forget to eat my bread. By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness, I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop, the dominion of our sisters is captured.

Mr Legae an adult male of full legal capacity, admitted jokingly that in 2006 women dominated this mine town since the industrial area blossomed with new job opportunities so many young and middle aged women ( about 10 000) flocked to this town to look for green pastures. He explains that there were more women than men hence the ratio 4:1. He noted that for you to get the real picture of these women you were to come when they knock off. However it was not long when these fabric stores collapsed. Some women returned back to their villages, some to other towns and some found their habitat. And this is the origin of the perilous time in this town.

Since then girl child has become a reproach to their counterpart, a scorn and derision to them that are around them. Top dogs, the so called highly paid men from the mine . They buy very luxurious cars. They call themselves top dogs because of their salaries that beat others. Money! Money! Money…….! both literate and illiterate men. They are the force behind the wreck of the monster HIV/AIDS. The Selibe – phikwe senior secondary school girls are under siege. As innocent as they are, as young as they are and as beautiful as they appear they grace the perpetrators beds. The pride of men is robbing our nation its champions. Due to the absence of private sector which could help alleviate poverty also deprives so many women in Selibe Phikwe to get focused. On the contrary women in the outskirts of Selibe – Phikwe to date they come here to look for jobs. When they come here they are faced with all calamities, hunger, and poor shelter and automatically they join in the singing of songs of this town. When they go back they are sick with Aids. They rent one roomed houses which is affordable and suit their conditions. However no one is not willing to shed light on the secretive ongoing events among men. This town needs more attention, I in particular cannot blame the people. I blame the systems in S/Phikwe. There is not enough awareness.

Their blood is crying with revenge. One soldier who was totally devastated, was heard saying that he will never indulge himself with adults but rather young girls whom he thought they are still innocent girls from the Selibe – Phikwe secondary school, before he could knew anything signs started showing up. One friend of mine when she unveiled the story was so emotional. Wondering why? She said the man is so brutish, rendering a reward of plunder! He is so merciless. These Bcl mine workers are really havoc. They are the reason of our pain in this society. Bitterness, grievances and grudges are all that we see today. "What is wrong with Selebi-Phikwe?" asks the Selebi-Phikwe District AIDS Coordinator, Lamech Myengwa. Selebi-Phikwe continues to lead with the highest HIV prevalence rate in Botswana at 26.5 percent and a high incidence rate of 4.7percent. I believe that females are infected at a relatively high rate in Selebi-Phikwe, because they are unemployed and they end up sleeping with men without condoms in need of money without even knowing the status of those men. Despite the idea of reducing multiple concurrent partnerships, news papers, billboards and through the television for the past years to encourage behavior change. This has failed experts.

I believe that there is a need to motivate Selebi-Phikwe youth so that they can also fight the scourge by staying away from activities that could make them vulnerable. As a woman who has seen the torture of other women I believe I can be the source of their empowerment.