The concept of what constituted a gift varied among participants. In general, flowers, chocolates, jewelry, clothes, lingerie, flowers, CDs, drugs, meals in a restaurant, drinks at a club, tickets to concerts, entrance fees to clubs, vacations, accommodation, and books were the most frequently mentioned items. African women between ages 18 and 22 years in the township maintained that if a woman comes from a poor family, offerings of food for the family home would be an acceptable gift. Not all gift giving was understood in material terms. Young African males from the township aged 14 &15 years spoke about sex itself as being a gift, referring to it as something that is always there and did not need to be purchased.

Asians girls mentioned boyfriends’ giving household accessories to their mothers and buying alcohol or tickets to sporting events for their fathers as common gifts. The giving and receiving of sweets, cakes, and other foodstuffs outside cultural occasions were also considered gifts. Asian males concurred and felt that it was a very “decent” way of gift giving because it did not put undue pressure on the girl. However, they argued that if the girl was considered a good ìbetî for procuring quick sex, then the giving of  “provocative” gifts such as lingerie and perfumes would be an appropriate strategy.

The giving of esoteric “things” was a form of gift giving among some whites, and natural objects such as sticks and stones were included on their lists. Acts of lavishness did not necessarily result in sex being offered in return, but created a degree of “closeness” that “inevitably” resulted in sex. A current trend in gift giving included designing and paying for tattoos and various forms of body-piercing jewelry both by men and women. Reciprocating with sex is part of such gift giving rituals; participants argued that the intention of such gifts was to provoke a sexual response from a partner.