Rustenburg - Speaking at an event on HIV-Aids in Rustenburg on Friday, North West Premier Job Mokgoro said that men were reluctant to do voluntary testing.
"We are concerned that certain categories, when it comes to questions of testing, men tend to shy away from that compared to women," he said.
He called on the newly appointed Health MEC Madoda Sambatha to identify "the key worrying categories".
Sambatha was appointed health MEC on Thursday, when Mokgoro reshuffled his provincial executive council. Sambatha returned to the provincial cabinet after he was axed by former premier Supra Mahumapelo in June last year as public works MEC and replaced long servicing MEC Magome Masike.
Mokgoro said the provincial government was satisfied that the graph was moving up in terms of delivery but felt it was important to strengthen the pace and had changed the political head of the health department in part for this reason.
South Africa has the biggest HIV treatment programme in the world, with more than three million people on life-saving antiretroviral drugs.