To date, there is a dearth of surveillance data on the prevalence of HIV and associated risk behaviours among men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa. This is particularly true for data collected from several sites using the same sampling approach. This study called the Marang Men's Project was undertaken to fill this information gap. It was implemented among MSM in the three largest cities of South Africa, namely, Cape Town in the Western Cape, Durban in KwaZulu-Natal and Johannesburg in Gauteng. The high HIV prevalence estimates found in our study among MSM in each of the three study cities call for a need to implement a national HIV bio-behavioural surveillance programme for MSM. The Marang Men's Project has demonstrated that there is an urgent need for interventions, which respond not only to the heterosexual HIV epidemic but also to the HIV epidemic among MSM in South Africa. This survey therefore provides valuable information to SANAC, the national and provincial Departments of Health (DoHs), and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) organisations to both implement and advocate for improved programmes for the health of MSM.

Currently 6.4 million people in South Africa live with HIV, this figure represents a quarter of the burden of HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa and 18 per cent of the global burden. With this view, the South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey, 2012 is a crucial report for government, policy makers and other stakeholders as they work towards reducing the HIV epidemic in South Africa. This 2012 HIV survey is the fourth in the series of national population-based surveys. The survey was conducted from December 2011 to November 2012. As with previous surveys, it was designed to investigate the overall HIV prevalence, incidence and behaviour as well as social determinants that drive the epidemic. It also served to collect data to help monitor the National Strategic Plan 2007-2011 and set the baseline for the 2012-2016 NSP. This report is a must-read and essential for researchers who want to understand the HIV dynamics in South Africa.