By Simon Nare
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has welcomed six-months of HIV/Aids funding under the PEPFAR Bridge Plan (PBP), saying it is a reflection of healthy bilateral relations between Pretoria and Washington.
The renewed support follows months of financial strain after the Trump administration abruptly halted foreign aid allocations in January, disrupting key public-health projects across southern Africa and forcing National Treasury to reallocate funds to prevent treatment gaps.
Ntshavheni told journalists during a post-cabinet briefing on Thursday that the country had been “caught off guard” by the sudden funding cut, leaving the government with no time to “balance the books.” She said South Africa lodged a formal complaint with Washington over the abrupt suspension.
“The Trump administration has now listened and approved funding to the tune of $115 million between 1 October 2025 and 31 March 2026,” Ntshavheni said, adding that cabinet welcomed the six-month approval as a positive step toward restoring confidence and continuity in the country’s HIV/Aids programme.
“The PBP is meant to ensure uninterrupted HIV service delivery in South Africa by supporting HIV/Aids service continuity and prioritising country-specific needs and life-saving impact,” she said.
The bridge plan is a transitional funding phase to keep HIV services operational until full programme renewal is finalised. It allows for the continuation of critical, life-saving HIV programmes while the broader long-term agreement is being renegotiated.
“Cabinet expressed its appreciation to the government of the United States of America on its commitment to supporting and sustaining progress in the fight against HIV/ Aids,” she said.
The approval of the finance “confirms the good bilateral relations between South Africa and the USA. [When we complained] they intervened and we found an amicable solution to the problem,” she said.
Relations between Pretoria and Washington soured earlier this year after the Trump administration announced a 30% reciprocal tariff on South African imports, prompting President Cyril Ramaphosa to lead a delegation to the White House to try to reset ties.
At that meeting and in surrounding rhetoric, Trump pressed false claims that South Africa’s white minority — particularly farmers — were being systematically targeted, a narrative widely debunked by mainstream fact-checkers and international media. Ramaphosa used the engagement to rebut those assertions and to argue for de-escalation on trade and aid.
Separately, civil society groups AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement have publicly lobbied U.S. officials on South African policy and minority-rights issues. Following those Washington engagements, South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) confirmed they were probing four dockets of alleged high treason tied to complaints about “spreading misleading information” abroad. Both groups deny wrongdoing and say the cases are baseless.
Ntshavheni also said at the briefing that cabinet was updated on the proposed rollout of HIV prevention drug Lenacapavir, scheduled for release in March or April 2026.
“The initial rollout will focus on 23 high-incident districts across six provinces, targeting approximately 360 high-performing public clinics within these areas. The rollout will further bolster government’s fight against HIV and Aids and our goal to reduce new HIV infections to below 0.1% by 2032,” she said.
Lenacapavir has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a twice-yearly injectable for HIV prevention (pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP) in adults and adolescents.
Ntshavheni said cabinet welcomed Eskom’s return to profitability after the entity reported a R16 billion profit for the financial year ending March 2025. The profit was testament to its turnaround progress, she added.
“This milestone comes at a time when the country has marked another extended period without load shedding, over 150 consecutive days… which is a clear indication that South Africa’s electricity supply is stabilising.”
She said Eskom was now prioritising the elimination of load reduction in the next 12 – 18 months. She said load reduction was currently implemented to safeguard critical infrastructure in areas affected by high energy losses and illegal connections.
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