The Arcadia Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe is ironically becoming the proverbial gold rush for sex workers who are currently targeting miners working there, leading an event deemed to be a major driver of HIV in Goromonzi.
By Kudakwashe Pembere recently in Goromonzi
This has seen the National AIDS Council (NAC) through its Goromonzi District office coming in with interventions covering the previously marginalized key population of sex workers as well as miners and farming community.
Giving an overview of the district, NAC Goromonzi District AIDS Coordinator (DAC) Mr Grayham Mafoke said they have seen an increase of sex workers servicing the sex needs of the miners at the lithium mine.
So, for example we have the latest one the lithium mine. We have more than 4 000 workers at that mine. And you realise that because of the spousal separation, these workers 95 percent of them are men who don’t stay with their spouses. So what it means…where do they get their sex as a basic need?
“Automatically, they get it round the mining community as well as the farming compounds around the mine. So basically, those are the affected communities, that is the mining workers, farming workers as well as the sex workers,” he said.
He said spousal separation was a key driver in the rise of new infections. He said their district ranks number three in terms of HIV prevalence in Mashonaland East.
“So, we are third in the province and our HIV prevalence is around 10.7 percent with an upper bound of 12.8. the major key drivers of our HIV are to do with gender imbalance, spousal separation. You will realise that the geographical setup of the district, we are close to Harare and our population is highly mobile and they don’t stay with their spouses. They probably visit their spouses during the weekend and return to work. So that is another key driver. The issue of spousal separation.
“The issue of multiple concurrent multiple partnership. I think we have the highest number of sex workers in Mash East according to CeSSHAR database where we have sex workers housed at Juru, because of the highway corridor. We also have sex workers at Mverechena. We also have sex workers at Mutangadura highway. We also have sex workers at Majuru. So those are the hubs of the sex workers where their clients are from the farming community and mining community. We are surrounded with mines as well as the large farms in the district,” he said.
NAC Goromonzi peer led monitor Sandra Masamba said her role is helping in with sexual behaviour change programs aimed at dropping STIs and HIV.
She said with the lithium plant being a retreat for sex workers, once every week they visit with STI screening services, condoms and HIV testing services.
“When the mine workers finish work and go into the communities, they are taking on STIs as some sex workers are targeting them. We are also on the highway corridors and so the ladies come here a lot so there is need for increased healthcare services,” she said. “Upon commencement of this weekly program, men whom are many here would claim they did not like using condoms. But now through the discussions, they are beginning to accept the importance of using condoms to an extent the people they will be seeing for sex do not want to wear condoms.”
She said most of the sex workers come from Chitungwiza, Epworth and surrounding areas. At the mine, there was a high demand of HIV services from the NAC personnel with others demanding they be provided with the oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) which are said to be 99 percent.
“After being tested, as male miners we want oral PrEP because there are chances the condom may burst. So, we want to be protected, to be on the safe side,” said a mine worker. “I am speaking for myself but I’m sure other men can vouch for me saying they also need the PrEP after being tested.”
