A group of Cape Town hoteliers will distribute 160,000 free condoms to urge World Cup guests to "play it safe" in South Africa as part of a one million rubbers roll-out during the tournament.
The department of health condoms are being distributed in rooms at some 100 hotels countrywide to promote safe sex in one of the world's highest HIV positive populations. Instructions for use are included.
"We are distributing one million condoms across the country," said Kai Crooks-Chissano, 2010 project manager at the South African Business Coalition on HIV/ AIDS on Wednesday.
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"We thought one of the best places for condom use might just be in the bedrooms. Good sex is safe sex."
The roll-out feeds into South Africa's boosted AIDS efforts with a massive counselling and testing drive targeting 15 million South African by next June.
The condom packaging has been branded in a partnership with hospitality and tourist associations and hotel chains.
Cape Town Tourism adopted the message "play it safe in Cape Town", while the Southern Sun chain will offer condoms branded "I am responsible" at 60 hotels.
Sergio Dreyer of The Grand Daddy hotel in Cape Town's city centre took delivery of 2,900 rubber sheaths.
"We're basically going to be doing room drops every day," he said.
"It's more something to protect our guests and to create that awareness. We all have fun. It's just telling people to be responsible."
Last week, South African AIDS organisations accused football's governing body FIFA of blocking access to condoms and HIV education materials at World Cup stadiums and fan parks.
FIFA denied it had undermined activities of the country's HIV testing campaign.
An estimated 5.7 of 48 million South Africans are HIV positive, according to the UN AIDS agency, with South Africa now boasting the world's largest treatment program after years of failure to roll out life-saving drugs.
