• Funding Termination: On 26 February, about 40 USAID-funded health projects in South Africa received termination letters, leading to the cancellation of these projects. This has resulted in the cessation of services provided by approximately 8,493 PEPFAR-funded staff who were involved in HIV response activities.

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• Funding Termination: On 26 February, about 40 USAID-funded health projects in South Africa received termination letters, leading to the cancellation of these projects. This has resulted in the cessation of services provided by approximately 8,493 PEPFAR-funded staff who were involved in HIV response activities.
• Service Disruptions: The halt in funding has led to the closure of many clinics and a significant reduction in services such as HIV testing, care, and treatment. Key populations, including adolescent girls, young women, and pregnant women, are at risk of losing access to critical HIV prevention tools like PrEP. There are also disruptions in data management, mobile clinics, and drop-in centers.
• Healthcare Gaps: The funding cuts will affect specific healthcare services, including limited support for advanced HIV disease services, reduced HIV testing, diminished treatment literacy, and increased stigma and discrimination for key populations.
• National Campaign: On February 25, the South African Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the South Africa National AIDS Council (SANAC), UNAIDS, WHO, and other stakeholders, launched a national campaign to close the 1.1 million HIV treatment gap by December 2025. This campaign aims to significantly increase the uptake of life-saving HIV treatment and includes a call to action for South African men to access healthcare services
• Private Sector Involvement: UNAIDS has called on the private sector to help address the funding gap resulting from the US funding freeze. During the Close the 1.1m campaign launch, the UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Anne Githuku-Shongwe, called on the private sector in South Africa to help bridge the 17% funding gap resulting from the US funding freeze and proposed the creation of a South African Solidarity Fund against HIV, similar to the one set up during the COVID-19 response. Currently, the private sector contributes about 2% towards the HIV response. “If the sector were to add 10% more funding, it would make a big difference,” said Ms Githuku-Shongwe.