Motsoaledi: Countries have indicated they have no capacity to replace Pepfar billions in South Africa

Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, said South Africa has held discussions with different funders and countries in an effort to raise money to replace the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) but so far, no one has indicated the intention to provide the assistance.

On Thursday, IOL reported that Motsoaledi insisted South Africa's HIV/Aids funding is not collapsing in spite of recent defunding by the American aid.

During a media briefing in Pretoria, Motsoaledi assured South Africans that the country’s HIV/Aids programme was not at risk of collapsing due to the withdrawal of US foreign aid funding through Pepfar.

This follows the withdrawal of the Pepfar fund. US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal in January 2025. Motsoaledi reiterated that South Africa accounts for the majority of the HIV/AIDS funding.

Speaking to SABC News, Motsoaledi said there has been positive discussions with other possible funders including philanthropists and other nations.

“We met a lot of funders, international funders and philanthropists. We also met and communicated with countries that can help, but up to so far, none of them has been able to tell us clearly, they just said they are willing to help,” said Motsoaledi.

“What they made very clear is that none of them is in a position to replace Pepfar. They said they simply do not have any capacity whatsoever to replace Pepfar, but if they want to help, they will inform us, in which areas do they want to help. 

“Up to so far, none of them has really come to the fore and said we are ready now, we will help you on this one and that one,” he told the national broadcaster.

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Motsoaledi clarified that South Africa is spending almost R47 billion on its HIV/Aids and tuberculosis programme this year.

“Pepfar is contributing R7.9 billion of that. So when that money gets withdrawn, it will be R7.9 billion. Pepfar was helping us in 27 districts, out of the 52 districts of the country,” he said.

The minister added that the Pepfar fund was not contributing in the Northern Cape province.

“The number of people in these 27 districts who are working on HIV/Aids are 271,606. Out of that number, 15,000 are funded by Pepfar and it so happens that these are the people of interest," said Motsoaledi.

He said jobs for 8,000 workers who were funded by Pepfar came to an immediate end when the defunding was announced earlier this year.

“The others who are paid by Pepfar through the Centre for Disease Control in America, they still have a reprieve until September. This is where we are, but when it comes to ARVs for the 5.7 million people who are on antiretrovirals, when it comes to that, we pay for 90 percent of that from our fiscus.

“Pepfar has not been buying ARVs for us. We buy them ourselves. We buy up to 90 percent, the 10 percent is bought for us by the Global Fund. Now, this is where we are at the present moment.”

The minister said in the meetings with potential funders, South Africa has asked for help to fund the affected 8,000 healthcare workers, but no one has picked the tab.

Earlier this year, President Trump withdrew Pepfar funding for African countries for 90 days.

During his State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the US funding represents about 17% of South Africa’s HIV spend, while Reuters recently reported that data from the National Health Laboratory Service, a government entity, showed that viral load testing has declined by up to 21% among key groups in the last two months.

IOL reported earlier that in spite of not having alternative plans of funding in the interim, the Motsoaledi said South Africa will not beg the Trump administration.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

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