During OneLove’s research on multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP) in Swaziland, many people who were interviewed mentioned that such relationships are “not good” and constitute promiscuity.
Respondents generally said that they do not approve of MCP even though having more than one sexual partner is a culturally acceptable practice for men.
Married and religious people especially felt that MCP goes against their moral value systems.
To illustrate this point, participants pointed out that married women will sometimes do things for their pastors that they would not do for their husband.
Leaders of religious institutions also get involved in sexual relationships with more than one partner, they said. “It is just bitchiness, especially these churchgoing women. You find that she doesn’t bake for her husband at home but she goes to church carrying a cake tin with for the priest,” said a 40-year old woman from Lubombo.
She adds that such a woman does not kneel down to her husband but she will get down on her knees when approaching the priest. Her husband at home would be dying of hunger while she feeds her priest. “They don’t even mind talking boldly about having more than one partner,” she said.
“A lot of these bad habits happen even in the churches. Promiscuity has moved to the churches. The women who have husbands are the ones who perpetrate promiscuity,” another woman said.
Sex is rampant and unprotected
Participants also said that “sex is rampant” in their communities. Women between the ages of 40 and 49 years explained that even primary school children are sexually active, which would not have been the case in previous generations.
The 16 to 19 year olds also reported high levels of sexual activity among their peers. They said they often go to parties where most people are in couples and so they find partners themselves.
As alcohol is usually freely available at parties, these teenagers often drink too much and then have sex with the partners they have found there. The teenagers revealed that most sexual encounters in these situations happen without protection.
“Even a child in primary school is having sex now. Which is something that you would have never thought would ever happen. Not to mention those in high school,” a respondent said.
