OPINION: No, South Africa’s HIV care is not ‘under control’. To pretend so recalls the dark days of Aids denialism

A HIV-positive patient speaks with a nurse at a mobile clinic in Ngodwana, South Africa.Photograph: Bram Janssen/AP. Image Source: The Guardian

In a recent opinion piece by Yvette Raphael (APHA Executive Director) and Sibongile Tshabalala (TAC Chair) published in The Guardian, they warn that the withdrawal of U.S. HIV funding under President Trump has pushed South Africa's health system to a breaking point. Clinics - especially those serving transgender people, sex workers, and drug users - are struggling, HIV testing rates are falling, and frontline workers are losing jobs. Public trust is eroding, and services that have previously reached vulnerable groups are unraveling.

Despite government claims that the situation is "under control", Raphael and Tshabalala argue this is dangerously misleading. They draw parallels to the denialism seen during the Mbeki era - when science was ignored and lives were lost. Highlighting deep divisions between the Treasury and Health Department, and widespread political inertia, they call for immediate action: the formation of a national task force involving civil society, communities, researchers, and health workers.

Only through urgent, transparent leadership and collaboration can South Africa avoid repeating past mistakes - and safeguard the HIV gains built over decades.

 Read the full Guardian article here.