Trends in Internal Labour Migration from Rural Limpopo Province, Male Risk Behaviour, and Implications for the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Rural South Africa

Given improvements in the transport infrastructure and the end of travel restrictions characteristic of the apartheid period, there could be a reasonable expectation that male risk behaviour in sexual relations would be reduced as rural–urban connections were enhanced. Using the example of Limpopo Province, South Africa, this research draws on an existing demographic surveillance system and a specialised survey to test the hypothesis. We find that male risk behaviour and lack of awareness of risks have not altered significantly and that there are potentially explosive possibilities for the spread of HIV/AIDS to and from Limpopo Province. There have to be enhanced measures to bring the labour market closer to rural settings to arrest this phenomenon.

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