South Africans and Morality?

Why does it seem that there is such a high occurrence of infidelity among South Africans, both male and female? I am an American and I just returned to the U.S. after living in Cape Town for two years. I have lived and worked in many countries around the world, including several other African countries, and nowhere else have I encountered such an epidemic of cheating spouses and significant others. Intuitively, one would think that because of the high rate of HIV, people would be afraid to engage in casual sex. So I ask, is this problem a result of cultural, societal or historical factors and what can be done to resolve it?

My friend, you are very very wrong on this issue! It's NOT a problem, so there isn't any " cultural, societal or historical factors" that led to it! South Africans are just very friendly people! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

It is true that the divorce ratio went sky high within the last decade or so, but so did the rest of the world. I live in the country with the highest divorce ratio ever. South Korea. People here do have high respect for family, but the culture allows for men to stay out late with friends and party on with young girls while their wives look after the kids. You can read all about this on the net, so I won't bother you with the details.

I think that you just mixed with the wrong crowd, because people in South Africa can't really cheat. They just don't have the time!

Mada0307, The high rate of HIV is among the black population in South Africa. . .for a very good reason since they are very promiscuous. The whites barely have a .01% incidence as opposed to 40% amongst the blacks.
I have also lived in South Africa as well as England, Canada, Ecuador and USA. I have been to 76 countries and done four circles of the globe; I did not observe an unusual amount of infidelity in So. Africa(I am of European extract).
How would you rate Mexico or any other Central, So. American country in that respect.

I'd say Americans are worse... look at Cheaters, Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer... we don't have any shows like those!!!

Well first it is a comman myth in south africa that a way to cure the virus is to sleep around with a virgin. I learned this while working in an orphanage in Johannasburg.

I also spend time doing college ministry at the university of pretoria for a winter. My observation there was that there were less people having casual sex than i saw in America.

So I would have two thoughts on your question. the first is that while i was told by many people that south africa does not like america (i.e. george bush) they love the culture. The culture that they see is the t.v. culture where everyone sleeps with everyone. My thought is that they think that this is normal and how people live life.

My second thought ties in with the first and that is education. I dont' know if the individuals you were around were the educated individuals or the ones without education. It seems that the education seems to force all races over there to work harder and keep up the "good life" as some students would call it. With the pressure maybe that would force people go for a stress relief from other things. it's just like how often high stressed aerica is bigger on one night stands.

Just my thoughts this morning.

You're probably right- it could be a combination of all those things you mention. What you do not factor in is education. Did you not see how badly it is needed?

Are you talking about the Kaffirs or the Whites

Well it's nice to see an American that knows more about some other country than his own! Look at the statistics of divorce, cheating, drugs, alcohol, suicide, etc etc etc in the US and then come back and speak about us here in South Africa! Don't be so ignorant man!

Simple - you cannot uplift the majority because the untouchables take too much of the cake.
So the answer is to drag the working minority down to the mob's level.. financially, morally, educationally, all the other aspects.
Just look at the history of our neihbours...