HIV Patients in South Africa Worry that the Assistance Freeze will Prevent them from Receiving life-Saving Care

Nozuko Majola, a 19-year-old jobless woman in a rural community in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, is attempting to determine whether she has enough money for the one-hour drive to pick up her much-needed HIV medication, which is typically brought to her home but is difficult to get there because of the unpaved, uneven roads.

Majola is among the millions of South African patients impacted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s worldwide suspension on foreign aid, which has sparked concerns about HIV patients skipping medication, an increase in infection rates, and ultimately an increase in fatalities.

According to data published by the think tank Human Sciences Research Council in 2024, Majola’s province had the second-highest HIV prevalence in the nation at 16%, with an estimated 1,300 young people getting infected with the virus each week.

With over 1.9 million HIV-positive individuals, KwaZulu-Natal likewise had the greatest number of HIV-positive individuals in South Africa in 2022. The nation has more AIDS-causing viral infections than any other country, with about 7.5 million individuals affected.

Following Trump’s suspension of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, funding for the 5.5 million South Africans receiving antiretroviral therapy is again under scrutiny. According to the Health Ministry, it provides more than $400 million annually, or roughly 17% of the overall financing, to South Africa’s HIV programs and nonprofit organisations.

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