An inventory of programmes, capacity and interventions available at Emfuleni Municipal Area in the fight against HIV/AIDS

South Africa experiences the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world and is home to approximately thirteen per cent of the people infected with this pandemic. Contrary to the South African government’s earlier negative stance towards HIV and AIDS which has been resoundingly criticised both nationally and internationally, the government’s recent commitmentto providing management and introduce antiretroviral treatment programmes is welcomed by all, including civil society, employers and local government. This exploratory study was undertaken to establish an inventory of programmes, capacity and interventions available within theEmfuleni Local Municipality, which is one of three local municipalities that constitute the Sedibeng District Municipality, in the fight against HIV and AIDS. It focused on the primary healthcare centres, civil society organisations, and the employers within the municipal area and their response to the disease. A comprehensive literature study on HIV/AIDS was conducted. Based on this study, a separate questionnaire using a 5-point Likert type scale ranging from 1 =strongly agree to 5= strongly disagree was developed for each of the selected sample groups. The questionnaires were content analysed by two researchers and a senior health professional independently. After pre-testing, the questionnaires were administered to primary healthcare facilities, employers, and the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) within the Emfuleni municipal area. The data were captured on Excel and frequencies and descriptive statistics were used to report on the data. The study found weak links between the private sector and NGOs and in some cases between the clinics, and the NGOs. Staff shortage has been identified as a challenge in some clinics and the biggest challenge thus constraint facing municipal clinics in their fight against HIV and AIDS are space limitation for general consultation and counseling. Recommendations on the findings were made