Image caption, Mobile clinics are used to reach South Africans who may not be comfortable using other servicesByMayeni JonesAfrica correspondent, Reporting fromCape TownPublished6 February 2026 The impact of a flourish of the US president's pen in Washington a year ago continues to be felt on individual lives some 13,000km (8,000 miles) away in South Africa. There was a collective gulp among some in the health sector here when, hours after he was inaugurated, President Donald Trump signed an executive order freezing US aid commitments. For South Africa that meant the potential loss of an estimated $400m (£295m) that the US contributed each year to the country's HIV programmes – representing about a fifth of what it was spending on the issue. Last year, the government provided $46m in response to the US decision – just 11.5% of what was lost. The US also agreed a "bridge plan" of $115m that will last until the end of March in place of regular funding from the US President's Emergency Fund for Aids Relief (Pepfar).
Published: February 6, 2026 5:57 pm
Source: BBC — Read original