Condom distribution is taken for granted as one of the pillars of effective HIV prevention
strategies in developing countries, and has been a foundational governmental strategy in Namibia,
a country with a 19.6% seroprevalence rate, since the mid-1990s. This article presents
the results of field research conducted in Windhoek in 2004 and 2006, by exploring the ways
in which young, urban Namibians express mistrust in the efficacy of free condoms. While the
government and other HIV prevention agencies assert that all condoms are equally effective
in preventing the transmission of HIV, young people instead articulate distinct understandings
of condom use as a means of practicing “safe sex”, which are dependent, in part, upon
the brand, origin and cost of the condom in question. Contextual factors, such as government
oversights concerning safe condom distribution and an abusive history of family planning,
may have contributed to the widespread mistrust in condoms apparent across the country. Innovative
approaches that move beyond the provision of technical information about condom
safety are necessary if this mistrust is to be overcome in Namibia.