US to stop funding HIV programmes in South Africa over 'Afrikaner minority concerns'

US to stop funding HIV programmes in South Africa over 'Afrikaner minority concerns'
US to stop funding HIV programmes in South Africa over 'Afrikaner minority concerns' - US President Donald Trump meets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 21, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
US President Donald Trump meets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 21, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

South African health officials said the end of PEPFAR funding was not unexpected, adding that the country had already begun planning to finance its HIV response domestically.

The United States (US) is set to end funding for South Africa’s HIV/AIDS programmes over claims that Pretoria is failing to protect the white Afrikaner minority.
Washington will begin phasing out the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a flagship US programme that has supported HIV prevention and treatment across Africa for more than two decades.
According to a State Department official, the decision follows South Africa’s failure “to make demonstrable progress on policy requests by the administration”.

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While the official did not specify the requests in a statement issued on Friday, US demands have previously included repealing a land expropriation law without compensation, exemptions for American companies from black empowerment regulations, and changes to South Africa’s foreign policy alignment, including relations with countries such as Iran.
The official said the move is in line with a 2025 executive order and reflects the administration’s policy of encouraging self-reliance among countries receiving US aid. The US also maintains that South Africa, as a middle-income country, is capable of funding its own health programmes.
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Washington had previously warned that PEPFAR funding would be withdrawn if Pretoria failed to meet its policy demands, and the programme had already seen reductions following cuts to US development assistance last year.

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South Africa carries the world’s highest HIV burden, with about eight million people living with the virus.
PEPFAR has played a central role in supporting HIV prevention, testing and treatment services, funding more than 15,000 health workers — including nurses, counsellors and pharmacists — and backing programmes across more than half of high-prevalence districts.
In 2024, South Africa received about $456 million (Sh59 billion) in US HIV and AIDS funding, though this fell to $213 million (Sh27.6 billion) in 2025 after earlier reductions.
South African health officials said the end of PEPFAR funding was not unexpected, adding that the country had already begun planning to finance its HIV response domestically.
They noted that while US support had been significant, antiretroviral treatment is largely funded by the South African government.

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