Overview
- The administration announced a phased drawdown of PEPFAR in South Africa, a decision revealed on June 18 that aims to close out U.S. programming by early 2027.
- U.S. officials say the action responds to Pretoria's failure to meet policy conditions that included reducing ties with Iran, changing Black Economic Empowerment rules, and condemning the "Kill the Boer" chant.
- Public-health experts warn that ending PEPFAR risks disrupting treatment and prevention for millions of people in the country that has about 8 million people living with HIV and has received more than $8 billion from PEPFAR.
- The State Department and HHS contend CDC offices abroad will be preserved and that overseas CDC funding may increase under the new strategy, and Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III is expected to meet South African health officials soon to deliver the decision.
- The move deepens a wider diplomatic rift between Washington and Pretoria after recent expulsions and refugee disputes, and it raises the prospect of treatment interruptions, higher HIV transmission, and a scramble for replacement funding by governments and aid groups.