SA and International Groups Condemn US Foreign Aid Halt

From the Democratic Alliance (DA) to the World Health Organization (WHO), numerous groups have condemned the Trump administration’s irresponsible decision to halt the provision of HIV services worldwide.

In recent days, key HIV and other health programmes providing specialised services to members of the LGBTQ+ community across South Africa and the region have been forced to shut their doors. This follows a “stop work” order from the US State Department as part of a three-month review of all US foreign aid.

The move aims to identify and target organisations that affirm transgender people and projects involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives—just two areas that Trump has repeatedly attacked.

LEGABIBO, Botswana’s LGBTQIA+ human rights advocacy group, is the latest organisation to announce that, due to the suspension of funding, it is temporarily closing its health services in the capital, Gaborone, and other parts of the country, until further notice.

“LEGABIBO remains steadfast in our commitment to advocate for the rights and dignity of LGBTQIA+ persons. We are actively exploring alternative ways to continue delivering vital services to our community,” said the organisation.

WHO Warns of HIV Crisis Due to Funding Halt

The WHO expressed deep concern about the implications of pausing funding provided by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), particularly for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries.

PEPFAR, through agencies such as USAID, operates in over 50 countries and provides HIV treatment for more than 20 million people globally, including 566,000 children under 15.

“A funding halt for HIV programmes can put people living with HIV at immediate increased risk of illness and death and undermine efforts to prevent transmission in communities and countries,” said the WHO in a statement. “Such measures, if prolonged, could lead to rises in new infections and deaths, reversing decades of progress and potentially taking the world back to the 1980s and 1990s when millions died of HIV every year globally, including many in the United States.”

Southern African LGBTQ+ Organisation Expresses Alarm

Iranti, a Johannesburg-based LBTQ+ organisation, said it was devastated by the Trump administration’s actions and feared the impact on key populations such as women and girls, refugees, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

“The announcement has resulted in the closure of several essential services across the Global South, many of which have been fully or partially dependent on foreign aid programmes to provide sexual and reproductive healthcare services,” said Iranti.

Iranti warned that the funding freeze would likely lead to an increase in HIV/AIDS transmission due to reduced access to healthcare and prevention services. “Gender-affirming healthcare services, which have always been limited, are also under threat as a result of the halt,” the organisation added.

Iranti called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to take urgent action to address the funding gap, stating, “We urge the South African government to put measures in place to ensure healthcare programmes can survive this 90-day closure.”

South African Government and Political Response

Speaking to the press on Tuesday, South Africa’s Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, revealed that 17% of South Africa’s HIV response—the largest in the world—is funded by PEPFAR.

He acknowledged that organisations providing health services funded by PEPFAR had received notifications about the funding pause but revealed that the South African government had not yet been directly informed by US authorities.

The DA also spoke out on the issue, recognising the contributions of the American government in funding HIV services, which has saved millions of lives in South Africa.

“We call upon the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and relevant policymakers to swiftly reinstate funding while a broader programmatic review is underway and to allow the recommencement of lifesaving HIV care in South Africa,” said DA MP Emma Louise Powell. “Millions of lives are at risk.”