By Akani Nkuna
Deputy President Paul Mashatile on Monday backed new long-acting HIV prevention injection Lenacapavir, saying it could significantly improve prevention efforts and help curb the disease, and called for a stigma-free rollout.
Mashatile made the remarks in his capacity as chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council, while addressing residents of Ga-Masemola in Limpopo during a World AIDS Day commemoration.
“This innovation has profound implications for South Africa. It offers hope for young women who cannot negotiate condom use. It empowers adolescent girls navigating relationships marked by power imbalances. It provides protection for key populations who face stigma and discrimination,” he said.
“It supports workers and learners who struggle with the burden of daily pill adherence. In other words, Lenacapavir speaks to the reality of our people’s lives, that prevention must be practical, dignified, discreet, and compatible with the pressures of daily survival.”
The event, held under the theme Renewed Efforts and Sustainable Commitments to End AIDS, sought to highlight the conditions that allow HIV and AIDS to persist, outline measures to curb the epidemic and step up community education.
Mashatile stressed the need to tackle stigma and urged community members to test for HIV, saying increased testing would strongly support government efforts to deal with the scourge.
He called for rollout plans that reflect current social realities and recent scientific advances, saying they should ensure that deliberate, targeted interventions are deployed to reduce the burden of the disease.
“Key considerations include ensuring accessibility, affordability, and sustainability, alongside a commitment to a future without HIV transmission at birth or resulting adult deaths from the virus. Let us confront stigma with courage, fund research, and ensure treatment reaches everyone. This is a commitment to health, dignity, justice, and equality for all people,” Mashatile added.
The deputy president said there had been measures and efforts to raise $18 billion through the 8th replenishment campaign to fund the GC8 grant cycle from 2027 to 2029, following the halting of aid by the US government earlier this year.
With an aim to save more than 23 million lives affected by HIV, TB and malaria, Mashatile told community members, ministers and NGO officials, that pledged amounts totalling over $11 billion had been raised globally to accelerate efforts against these diseases.
“South Africa pledged USD 36.6 million through a public-private partnership between DIRCO, NDOH, Anglo-American, and Goodbye Malaria. South Africa has been a major beneficiary of the Global Fund to the tune of USD 2.3 billion over the years.
Most recently, it secured USD 400 million for Grant Cycle 7, which started on 01 October 2025 and will run until 31 March 2028,” he said.
Citing broader government efforts to tackle epidemics affecting life expectancy, Mashatile said a campaign had reached more than 1.8 million people between April and September this year, representing 62% of its target.
Meanwhile, Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba warned that poor treatment of HIV and AIDS patients by health workers, particularly in rural clinics, was undermining government’s response.
“Stop calling [patients] names. Our health professionals that are here, when somebody wants to test for HIV do not ask if they are involved in extra-marital activities. They are coming to you for HIV testing, test them without judging them. Our attitude must not chase those that are seeking [health care] support” she said.
Ramathuba said the fight against HIV, TB and related diseases would require coordinated action across all sectors of society to ensure that resources and efforts are deployed equitably and effectively to curb the epidemic.
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