Although huge attention has been given to policy and programmatic implementation to arrest the
HIV/AIDS epidemic especially in the Southern African countries hard hit by the epidemic such as South Africa and
Botswana, the process has faced arduous and uphill task. This paper through a literature review methodology, seeks
to investigate the underpinnings weighing down the HIV/AIDS campaign in South Africa and Botswana, as well as
some few examples from other African countries. The following underpinnings have been identified for weighing
down the success of the HIV/AIDS campaign-State of moral decadence; culture of condoning multiple and concurrent
partners; patriarchy that condones men’s unfaithfulness; pervasiveness of illicit risky sexual behaviours such as
prostitution; pervasiveness of broken families and condomisation as a process of increasing risky sexual behaviours.
The paper recommends the following to strengthen the HIV/AIDS campaign: strengthening behaviour modification
processes, mainstreaming of social and cultural education; zero tolerance against sexual relations before marriage;
and diluting cultures that condone multiple and concurrent partners