Wed Feb 05 07:05:19 UTC 2025: **US Funding Freeze Cripples South African HIV/AIDS Services**

**Johannesburg, South Africa – February 5, 2025** – A 90-day freeze on US foreign aid, announced by President Donald Trump, has thrown South Africa’s HIV/AIDS response into chaos, leaving millions at risk. The suspension impacts PEPFAR, the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which provides 17% of South Africa’s HIV budget and supports anti-retroviral treatment for 5.5 million people.

Clinics across the country are already feeling the impact. The OUT LGBTQ clinic in Johannesburg, serving 6,000 clients, has been forced to close its doors, suspending vital HIV prevention and treatment services. Similarly, the University of the Witwatersrand’s HIV project, a key provider of services to sex workers, has also been shuttered.

With around 8.45 million people (14% of the population) living with HIV in South Africa, the consequences of this funding freeze are dire. Health officials and advocates express deep concern, warning that the halt in funding will reverse years of progress in combating the epidemic.

Dawie Nel, director of the OUT clinic, described the US as an “unreliable partner,” highlighting the volatility and chaos caused by the funding interruption. Anele Yawa of the Treatment Action Campaign stated that the freeze will push South Africa and the world backward, leaving countless individuals without access to crucial prevention, treatment, and care. The situation underscores the urgent need for alternative funding sources and a stable, long-term commitment to fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa.

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