By Chipo Gudhe
Kwekwe has emerged as the district with the highest number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Midlands Province, an official in the Ministry of Health and Child Care has said.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, Midlands Provincial HIV Focal Person Brian Musayerenge revealed that Kwekwe currently has 33,589 people living with HIV, the highest among all eight districts in the province.
“Kwekwe leads in the province in terms of the number of people living with HIV. This is largely due to its gold-rich areas which have attracted artisanal mining and, consequently, a rise in transactional and high-risk sexual behaviours,” Musayerenge said.
Following Kwekwe, Gweru ranks second with 29,252 PLHIV, while Gokwe South (27,201) and Zvishavane (19,096) also record significant figures. Other districts include Mberengwa (17,872), Shurugwi (15,333), Gokwe North (12,614) and Chirumhanzu (10,061).
According to Musayerenge, the province as a whole has 165,019 people living with HIV, with 7,119 children aged 0–14 years and 157,900 adults aged 15 and above.
In Kwekwe, the HIV incidence rate is pegged at 0.20, with a 4% positivity rate per 1,000 clients tested. These figures are raising concern among health authorities as they reflect persistent transmission in specific communities.
Efforts to curb the spread of HIV include wide-scale distribution of preventive tools. Musayerenge said from January to December 2024, Kwekwe distributed 52,099 female condoms and a staggering 1,311,889 male condoms — the highest figures in the province.
“The high condom distribution numbers are encouraging, as they reflect ongoing demand and uptake of preventive measures,” Musayerenge said.
Meanwhile Gokwe North and Gokwe South districts have emerged with the lowest HIV prevalence and incidence rates in the Midlands Province, according to the National AIDS Council (NAC).
NAC Midlands Province Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Margaret Mika said current statistics show a significant geographical disparity in HIV burden across the province.
According to the 2024 National HIV and AIDS Estimates and Programme Data, the HIV prevalence rate among people aged 15-49 years in Gokwe North is the lowest in the province, standing at just 4.08%, while Gokwe South follows closely at 5.77%. This is in stark contrast to urban districts such as Kwekwe and Gweru, which reported prevalence rates of 15.45% and 14.79% respectively.
“These figures indicate that rural communities like Gokwe North and South have much lower HIV prevalence compared to urban centres, possibly due to differences in population density, mobility, and risk behaviours,” Mika said.
In terms of HIV incidence — the rate of new infections — Gokwe North recorded the lowest figure at 0.07%, with Gokwe South slightly higher at 0.10%. Again, this contrasts sharply with districts such as Gweru (0.34%) and Kwekwe (0.31%), which are experiencing some of the highest new infection rates in the province.
Midlands Province overall has a prevalence rate of 10.94% for individuals aged 15-49 years and an incidence rate of 0.21%, reflecting the national trend of steady progress in HIV reduction but with notable disparities between districts.
Mika highlighted that although progress is being made toward the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets — with adults in Midlands reaching 97% tested, 92% on treatment, and 96% virally suppressed — there remains a gap in paediatric HIV treatment. Children aged 0–14 years are still trailing with only 73% tested and 88% virally suppressed.
“Targeted prevention strategies remain essential, particularly for adolescents and key populations in high-prevalence areas,” Mika added.
The National AIDS Council has also been implementing social contracting initiatives to reach hard-to-access populations, including artisanal miners in Chirumanzu, Zvishavane, Kwekwe, and Shurugwi, to help curb the spread of HIV.
