South Africa welcomes $115M US bridge plan to sustain its HIV programs
for 6 months
[October 18, 2025]
By MICHELLE GUMEDE
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa on Thursday welcomed a U.S. bridging
plan worth $115 million that would continue funding HIV treatment and
prevention programs until the end of March, saying it was a sign of good
bilateral relations despite recent tensions.
The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, has been
credited with saving more than 25 million lives over two decades of
people with HIV, the vast majority in Africa. South Africa has the
highest number in the world of people living with HIV.
In January, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order
suspending all foreign aid for South Africa, including PEPFAR.
While a temporary waiver was initially granted for the 90-day
suspension, the US began terminating grants in late February 2025, and
most funding remained frozen or stopped, leading to job losses and
service disruptions.
The U.S. previously contributed more than $400 million a year to South
Africa’s HIV programs and nongovernmental organizations, or about 17% of
the total funding according to the health department.
As a result of the funding freeze, more than 8,000 health workers were
laid off and the 12 specialized HIV clinics were closed that were run by
nongovernmental organizations and funded by the now-shuttered United
States Agency for International Development, USAID.
South African Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told
reporters on Thursday that the cabinet welcomed the approval of the
PEPFAR Bridge Plan by the U.S.
She said the minimal warning period for countries to prepare their
budgets was one of the primary complaints voiced when President Trump
stopped PEPFAR funding, and the “bridge plan” sought to address that.
[to top of second column]
|
Demonstrators protest against cuts to American foreign aid spending,
including USAID and the PEPFAR program to combat HIV/AIDS, at the
Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 26,
2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
 “It’s a confirmation of the good
bilateral relations between South Africa and the U.S. so that when
we have complaints, they intervene and we find an amicable solution
to the problem,” Ntshavheni added.
Although the minister struck a positive tone, relations between the
two countries have been strained. Trump accused the Black-majority
government of presiding over a genocide against minority white
Afrikaners, even fast-tracking refugee applications for Afrikaners
to resettle in the U.S.
Along with suspending financial aid and imposing 30% tariffs on
South Africa’s exports to the U.S., Trump has denounced the
country’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. In 2023, South Africa
filed a case with the ICJ, accusing Israel of committing genocide
against Palestinians in Gaza.
South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was expelled by the U.S. for
his criticism of Trump, who has hinted that he may not attend the
G20 summit of world leaders scheduled to take place in Johannesburg
in November.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said at a national roundtable
discussion earlier this week that he was informed during a recent
visit by an American delegation that Washington was “changing its
approach to PEPFAR” and was granting countries varying transition
periods for funding, up to five years in some cases, before PEPFAR
was halted altogether.
“That plan is still being hatched and it is not ready,” he said. “We
ought to be happy about this because it could have been worse.”
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
