US Halts £300 Million South Africa HIV Funding Over Afrikaner Persecution Allegations
The US government has confirmed it will discontinue its funding for South Africa's HIV and AIDS initiatives, linking this action to claims that Pretoria has failed to safeguard the Afrikaner community. South Africa's health ministry has stated it had not received formal notification but reiterated its ongoing strategy for 'self-reliance' in health funding.
South Africa hosts the world's largest population of individuals living with HIV, exceeding eight million. The US, through the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (Pepfar), had previously committed approximately $400 million (£300 million) annually to these programmes until 2025.
Relations between Washington and Pretoria have steadily worsened since President Donald Trump's inauguration. An executive order issued by Trump alleged that 'countless' South African policies undermined equal opportunities and incited violence 'against racially disfavoured landowners'. The South African government contests this, asserting its Black Economic Empowerment policy is crucial for redressing apartheid-era economic disparities. The executive order also highlighted South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and its ties with Iran, with the White House declaring that further aid would be withheld due to these 'unjust and immoral practices'.
President Trump has also propagated the unsubstantiated claim of a 'white genocide' in South Africa, leading to the creation of a US refugee programme exclusively for Afrikaners. A US State Department official confirmed a 'phased drawdown' of Pepfar funding, attributing it to 'South Africa's failure to make demonstrable progress on policy requests'. The official added that the US aims to 'foster self-reliance', arguing that South Africa, as a middle-income country, 'is more than capable of supporting its own health programs'.
While Pepfar contributed significantly, South Africa's health ministry noted that the provision of life-saving antiretroviral drugs is primarily government-funded. Attempts to repair diplomatic ties, including a White House meeting between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, have yielded no discernible progress. The US also boycotted the G20 meeting hosted by South Africa last November.
