US ends HIV funding for South Africa, cites concerns over treatment of White minority

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The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced the termination of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in South Africa, citing concerns over what Washington described as violence, discrimination and displacement affecting white South Africans.

According to reports, the US State Department outlined several issues it claimed the South African government had failed to address before the decision was taken.

Among the concerns raised were South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment policies, which US officials argued do not provide sufficient exemptions for American companies operating in the country. Washington also criticised what it described as the South African government’s failure to strongly condemn racially charged rhetoric, including the controversial “Kill the Boer” chant.

The State Department further expressed concerns over South Africa’s Expropriation Act of 2024, warning against policies that could allow property seizures without what it termed fair compensation and due process.

US officials also called on Pretoria to classify rural crime as a national priority and devote more resources to tackling attacks in farming communities, while raising concerns over the country’s handling of refugee-related matters.

“South Africa is a middle-income country and is more than capable of supporting its own health programmes,” a State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying.

President Trump has repeatedly accused South African authorities of failing to adequately protect white farmers and members of the country’s white minority population.

During a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House in May 2025, Trump reportedly displayed videos showing opposition politicians chanting slogans calling for the killing of Boers, a term commonly associated with white farmers. He also presented reports and newspaper clippings detailing attacks on white South Africans, arguing that the issue had not received sufficient international attention.

The move to end PEPFAR funding marks a significant shift in US-South Africa relations and could have implications for health programmes that have benefited from American support over the years. Critics, however, have argued that linking public health assistance to political and diplomatic disputes may affect vulnerable populations who rely on such programmes.