Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, says South Africa must start thinking about getting rid of the HIV/AIDS disease. Motsoaledi says that’s his plan and he believes it’s possible.
He was speaking during the UNAIDS and the South African National Aids Council’s Global AIDS Update Report launch, at the Bertha Gxowa Hospital, in Germiston, east of Johannesburg.
This comes as studies show how new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa have reduced by 56%, with the largest anti-retroviral roll-out programme in the world.
South Africa has contributed to the 54% decline in HIV-related deaths worldwide since 2010.
However, this phenomenal progress risks being reversed with the sudden, drastic cuts from a number of donors that have sent shockwaves throughout the world.
The 2025 UNAIDS Global AIDS Update Report indicated that if the world does not act, there could be an additional 6 million new HIV infections and 4 million AIDS-related deaths by 2029.
National Health Department’s acting Deputy Director General for HIV/AIDS and TB, Ramphelane Morewane, says South Africa has developed contingency plans to minimise disruptions to healthcare services as result of donor funding cuts.
“As we had to protect a certain number of people and we then said those that were on treatment were the first ones not to stop treatment because that would have been very catastrophic. The second layer was to also strengthen our prevention, in terms of the key populations and other people.”
HIV gains in South Africa threatened by donor cuts
Morewane further added that it was crucial to focus on prevention mechanisms.
“Focus more on prevention, hence we’ve then introduced pre-exposure prophylaxis programme. It’s still oral prep now, that we’re doing, but we’re excited that it’s uptake is showing that people are really responding. So, as soon as innovations allow us to move to injectables, I’m sure at the right time, we’ll be able to make pronouncement. But for now prep has become one of the interventions that we’re implementing, you know, particularly among young people,” says Morewane.
CEO of the South African National Aids Council (SANAC), Dr Thembisile Xulu, says almost 80% of the country’s HIV-positive people are virally suppressed, meaning the level of the virus in their blood is very low.
Despite this, Xulu says there are still certain populations in the country, including female sex workers and men having sex with men, that they need to reach.
“The populations that we need to be chasing particularly are young people. We’re looking for children, we’re looking for men and we’re looking for key populations. Men by virtue of nature, health-seeking behaviour is not their best thing. So, it’s about looking at men-friendly services and trying to get to men, in a way that make sense to them. For children, children depend on adults to bring them to health facilities. When you look at the fact that only 66% of children are on treatment in South Africa … so getting to children is an issue that require us to reach their caregivers,” says Xulu.
Happening Now: UNAIDS, in collaboration with the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), is launching the 2025 Global AIDS Update Report, titled “AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform”, at Bertha Gxowa Hospital in the City of Ekurhuleni… pic.twitter.com/SVF33xlq8l
— SANAC (@SA_AIDSCOUNCIL) July 10, 2025
According to reports, new HIV infections have been reduced by 67% since 2000. 7,8 million people were living with HIV in 2024.
About 59% of all new infections were among women and girls aged 15 plus in 2024. By the end of December 2024, 6,3 million people were accessing anti-retroviral therapy.
Donor cuts threaten HIV treatment gains: Prof Mark Cotton weighs in:
Discover more from Trendz Africa
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
