10.1177/0021934704265915JOURNAL OF BLACK STUDIES / MARCH 2005Outwater et al. / WOMEN IN SOUTH FRICA WOMEN IN SOUTH AFRICA Intentional Violence and HIV/AIDS: Intersections and Prevention

South Africa is experiencing the turbulent aftermath of apartheid and the ravages of HIV/AIDS. Levels of violence are extremely high. In South Africa, violence has become normative and, to a large extent, accepted rather than challenged. Unusual for sub-Saharan Africa, there is a strong national research institute and rigorous data-based scientific literature describing the situation. Much of the research has focused on violence against women. This article reviews the intersection of HIV/AIDS and vio-lence in the lives of women in South Africa. The evidence for the need for positive change is solid. The potential for positive change in South Africa is also very strong. There are suggestions that an African renaissance based on the principle of ubuntu has already begun on national, community, fam-ily, and individual levels. If so, it can lead the way to a society with de-creased levels of violence and decreased levels of HIV transmission