The United States government has announced plans to begin withdrawing funding for HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa, a move that could have major implications for the country with the world’s largest population of people living with HIV.
South Africa has more than eight million people living with HIV, and until recently received about $400 million annually through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The decision comes amid worsening relations between Washington and Pretoria under the administration of Donald Trump.
A US State Department official said a gradual withdrawal of PEPFAR funding would begin because South Africa had failed to make progress on policy concerns raised by the Trump administration.
The White House has repeatedly accused South Africa of implementing policies that discriminate against the white Afrikaner minority and has also criticised Pretoria’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and its ties with Iran.
South Africa has strongly denied the allegations, insisting that its economic transformation policies are aimed at addressing inequalities created during apartheid.
The Trump administration has also continued to push the controversial claim that a “white genocide” is taking place in South Africa, an accusation widely rejected by experts, rights groups and the South African government.
Responding to the latest development, South Africa’s Health Ministry said it had not yet received formal notification of the funding withdrawal but stressed that plans had long been underway to reduce dependence on foreign aid.
Officials noted that while PEPFAR supports parts of the country’s HIV response, the procurement of life-saving antiretroviral drugs is largely funded by the South African government.
The ministry said efforts toward self-reliance would continue despite the expected loss of US support.
The funding cut follows several failed attempts to repair relations between the two countries, including a tense White House meeting between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Trump, during which the US president repeated claims of discrimination against white South Africans.
If implemented fully, the withdrawal would mark one of the most significant reductions in US health assistance to South Africa in decades.
