Calvin Rafadi is a Research Associate at University of Johannesburg. He recently published an opinion article that first appeared in the Times Live on 11 July 2025. On the surface, it’s ubuntu – but in reality, it is a form of transactional exploitation that threatens the moral and social fabric of our communities. South Africa has long prided itself on being a society rooted in the spirit of Ubuntu, which is the idea that “I am because we are.” It is a principle that emphasises compassion, solidarity, and communal support. Yet, beneath this ideal, an alarming and corrosive culture is quietly spreading in many townships, rural areas, and even within the middle class: the phenomenon known as ‘mavuso’. What was once a term associated with helping or supporting someone in need has been twisted into a form of transactional exploitation that threatens the moral and social fabric of our communities. MAVUSO, IN ITS CURRENT TOWNSHIP SLANG USAGE, REFERS TO TRANSACTIONAL SEX WITH CONSENT, OFTEN INVOLVING OLDER MEN PROVIDING MONEY, GROCERIES, OR FAVOURS IN EXCHANGE FOR SEXUAL ACTS WITH MUCH YOUNGER WOMEN OR, DISTURBINGLY, EVEN YOUNGER BOYS.
OPINION: WHEN HELP TURNS HARMFUL: CONFRONTING THE TOXIC RISE OF ‘MAVUSO’ CULTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA
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