Male circumcision is considered by some to be an acceptable global approach to reduce HIV infections. Consequently, many governments in sub-Saharan Africa run voluntary male circumcision programmes. South Africa also provides male circumcision for free at state clinics and hospitals. Very little is known about the men who use this service. This study uses data from Cape Town, a sample of 1194 in 2016, and from Mangaung, a sample of 277 in 2017 and 2018, to fill this gap. The study finds that age targeting is inadequate, risk targeting is absent, and religious and cultural factors have a negative effect on the cost-efficiency of the service in the long run.
Keywords: HIV; Islam; Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC); socio-economic profile; sub-Saharan culture; targeted health intervention.