Mbabane– Economic hardship is forcing some people to weigh immediate survival against the long-term danger of HIV, with sex workers revealing that clients can pay as little as E100 and up to E150 for sex without a condom.
For the women involved, the money is not simply an extra payment. It can mean food for children, household expenses or a way to supplement an income that is not enough to survive.
One sex worker, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Independent News that she normally charges between E50 and E100 per round, depending on the client and the number of rounds. However, she said the amount can rise to E150 when a client requests sex without a condom.
Another sex worker said some clients can pay as little as E100 for condom less sex, showing that the amount attached to the risk is not always high.
The revelations provide a rare glimpse into the economic calculations that can surround commercial sex, while raising wider questions about HIV prevention in a country that continues to record thousands of new infections despite years of investment in prevention, testing and treatment.
The accounts of the two sex workers do not prove that economic hardship is responsible for Eswatini’s HIV infections. However, they expose how financial pressure can influence decisions involving sexual health and create difficult choices for people struggling to meet basic needs.
WHEN SURVIVAL COMES FIRST
The first sex worker said she understood the dangers of having sex without a condom but felt that financial survival sometimes left her with few alternatives.
“I know the risk, but I choose to die of HIV than hunger,” she said. “It is not like I will not die at the end. If it is not HIV, I will die of hunger. I feed my children with this money.”
Her statement captures the tension at the heart of the story: HIV is a long-term health threat, while hunger and financial needs are immediate.
She said some information about such arrangements is also available on social media platforms, including Facebook.
Independent News found social media pages where sexual services are discussed or advertised using terms understood by some users to refer to condomless sexual intercourse. The specific pages and sensitive wording have not been published.
Another sex worker said her circumstances were also shaped by financial pressure.
She said she had completed university but earned very little from her formal employment, leaving her struggling to meet her responsibilities and support her children.
Her experience raises a broader question about economic security: what happens when a person has an education and employment but still cannot earn enough to meet basic needs?
THE E150 HIV QUESTION
For a client, paying an additional E50 or E100 for sex without a condom may appear to be a short-term financial decision.
But the health consequences of acquiring HIV or another sexually transmitted infection can extend far beyond the transaction.
Eswatini recorded about 4 220 new HIV infections in 2024, up from approximately 4 000 in the previous impact measurement survey.
The figures come despite major progress in the country’s HIV response, including increased testing, treatment and viral suppression.
The latest HIV Prevention Indaba findings identified social and structural barriers as among the factors undermining prevention efforts.
These include poverty, unemployment, gender-based violence, stigma, low risk perception and difficulties communicating about sex.
This means that HIV prevention cannot only be about telling people what the risks are.
The more difficult task is understanding why someone who knows the risk may still decide to take it.
JOBS BUT STILL FINANCIAL PRESSURE
That question brings the country’s unemployment crisis into the HIV conversation.
Government has reported that more than 16 000 jobs were generated, with about 11 000 filled by young people.
The employment push has coincided with a decline in the national unemployment rate from 35.4 per cent in 2023 to 33.5 per cent in 2025, according to the latest Labour Force Survey.
However, youth unemployment remains extremely high at 52.2 per cent.
MP Nomalungelo Mavuso has questioned how many of the jobs being created are permanent.
The question is important because employment figures alone do not necessarily show whether households have achieved financial stability.
A person may have a job but still earn too little to support a family.
For someone facing hunger, school fees, rent or other household costs, immediate income can become more important than a health risk whose consequences may only become visible years later.
Youth representative Tsidiswa ‘Tsidi’ Mhlanga has previously linked youth unemployment and poverty to HIV vulnerability, arguing that economic hardship can contribute to survival-driven behaviour and transactional sex.
TRUST CAN ALSO CREATE RISK
Economic hardship, however, is not the only issue.
Independent News also spoke to people who had engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse despite knowing the dangers of HIV.
For some, the reason was trust.
They said they trusted partners who told them they were HIV-negative or believed that someone they loved would not put their health at risk.
But can trust replace an HIV test?
Can love replace protection?
These questions remain important in a country where HIV prevention efforts continue to face challenges around risk perception and behaviour.
NERCHA’s national HIV strategy calls for a reduction in HIV incidence through combination prevention approaches, recognising that different interventions are needed to address different forms of vulnerability.
THE PrEP QUESTION
The availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP, also adds another dimension to the discussion.
PrEP is an important HIV prevention tool for people who may be at risk of acquiring HIV. But the existence of PrEP does not remove the need to address condom use, other sexually transmitted infections or the social and economic conditions that influence sexual decisions.
The question is therefore not simply whether prevention tools are available.
It is whether people who are most vulnerable can access them, understand them and use them consistently.
YOUNG WOMEN AND ECONOMIC POWER
The issue becomes even more concerning when looking at adolescent girls and young women.
Previous NERCHA HIV data has shown disproportionately high numbers of new infections among young females, including about 1 600 infections among females aged 15 to 24 in earlier estimates.
Khulisa Umntfwana has also raised concerns about age-disparate relationships in which older men provide money or gifts to younger girls.
Where there is a major difference in economic power, negotiating condom use can become more difficult.
The organisation has advocated for behaviour-change communication that reaches young people through peer discussions, storytelling, drama and culturally relevant approaches.
MORE THAN AN HIV STORY
The E100 to E150 payments revealed by the sex workers are therefore more than figures attached to a sexual transaction.
They point to a much larger challenge facing HIV prevention: people do not make health decisions in isolation from their economic circumstances.
For someone with enough money to meet basic needs, refusing condomless sex may be straightforward.
For someone facing hunger or struggling to feed children, the calculation can be very different.
This does not make the decision safe, nor does it establish that economic hardship is driving the country’s HIV figures.
But it shows why HIV prevention must look beyond knowledge and awareness.
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