US stops funding HIV/AIDS programs in South Africa

2026-06-19 22:32:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The United States government has announced that it will stop funding programs in South Africa aimed at combating the spread of HIV/AIDS, linking this decision to what it calls the South African government's failure to protect the Afrikaner community, the country's white minority.

South Africa's Ministry of Health responded by stating that, although it had not been officially informed of the decision, it had long been working on a self-reliance plan. More than eight million people in South Africa are living with HIV, the highest number in the world for a single country.

Until 2025, the US supported South Africa's efforts to combat the virus with about $400 million per year through the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). However, since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly.

Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order claiming that certain South African policies were undermining equal opportunity and inciting violence against landowners who, he said, discriminated against them on the basis of race.

The South African government has disputed these claims, arguing that the Black Economic Empowerment policy is necessary to redress economic inequalities inherited from the apartheid era. The executive order also mentioned South Africa's lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice, as well as its relations with Iran.

The White House said that, because of these practices, which it described as “unfair and immoral,” no further aid would be provided to South Africa. Trump has also claimed that a “genocide against white people” is taking place in South Africa, a claim denied by South African authorities. This has led the US administration to create a refugee program for Afrikaners, descendants of European settlers who settled in southern Africa in the 17th century.

PEPFAR funding, which covered about a fifth of South Africa's total spending on HIV programs, had received a temporary extension last year through a transitional plan.

However, a US State Department official confirmed that a gradual withdrawal of funding will now begin. According to him, the reason is “South Africa’s failure to make significant progress on the US administration’s political demands.”

The official added that the US goal is to promote self-reliance and reduce dependence on American funds, emphasizing that "South Africa is a middle-income country and is fully capable of financing its own health programs."

On the other hand, the South African Ministry of Health stated that, although PEPFAR has contributed to HIV programs, the supply of life-saving antiretroviral drugs is funded separately and primarily by the local government.

Efforts to improve relations between the US and South Africa have encountered difficulties. One of the most prominent episodes was the White House meeting between Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, where the US president confronted his counterpart with allegations of persecution of white people in the country.

The US also boycotted the G20 summit hosted by South Africa in November last year, further deepening diplomatic tensions between the two countries. /CNA