The US government says it will stop HIV funding to South Africa, which has about eight million people living with HIV—the highest number in the world.
According to a BBC report, the US has linked the decision to alleged attacks on Afrikaners (white South Africans), an allegation that the South African government has rejected.
South Africa’s Health Ministry said that although it had not been informed of the decision, it has been working toward becoming self-reliant.
According to the report, until 2025, the US supported South Africa’s efforts to combat HIV with an estimated $400 million (£300 million) annually through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
However, relations between South Africa and the US deteriorated after President Donald Trump came to power. Trump accused South Africa of undermining equal opportunities and fueling violence against “racially disfavored landowners.”
The South African government disputes these claims, saying that its Black Economic Empowerment policy is necessary to address economic inequalities dating back to the apartheid era.
The executive order also highlighted South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and its ties with Iran.The White House said that, given these “unjust and immoral practices,” further aid to South Africa would not be provided.
Trump has also falsely alleged that a “white genocide” is taking place in South Africa, which led the administration to establish a refugee program for Afrikaners—descendants of Western Europeans who settled in southern Africa in the 17th century. They are now among the only refugees being admitted into the US.
The genocide claim has been widely discredited.
PEPFAR funding, which had been providing about one-fifth of South Africa’s total spending on HIV programs, received a temporary extension last October through what was described as a “bridge plan.”
However, a US State Department official has confirmed that a “phased drawdown” of PEPFAR funding will now begin.
The official said this was due to “South Africa’s failure to make demonstrable progress on policy requests by the administration.”
The US government said its intention is to foster self-reliance and reduce dependence on American funding, noting that “South Africa is a middle-income country and is more than capable of supporting its own health programs.”
South Africa’s Health Ministry has said that while PEPFAR contributed to the country’s HIV program, the provision of life-saving antiretroviral drugs is funded separately, with most of the funding coming from the government.
Attempts to mend US–South Africa relations have floundered. These included a high-profile White House meeting between President Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa just over a year ago, during which Trump confronted his counterpart with claims of persecution against white South Africans.
The US also boycotted the G20 meeting, a gathering of the world’s major economies, hosted by South Africa last November.
