South Africa charts a new frontier by rolling out a twice-yearly injection which is almost 100% effective in preventing HIV

South Africa has taken a decisive step towards stopping new HIV infections. The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) and the National Department of Health, in collaboration with UNAIDS, convened a two-day national meeting on access to a new, and potentially groundbreaking medicine (lenacapavir) which is set to be rolled out in South Africa in early 2026. 

Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi affirmed government’s commitment to make lenacapavir “a public good - accessible, affordable and locally produced”. He emphasised the importance of prioritising adolescent girls and young women. There are around 8 million people living with HIV in South Africa and every week around 1000 adolescent girls and young women become newly infected with HIV.  

The introduction of lenacapavir marks the beginning of a new phase in HIV prevention, one grounded in collaboration between government, communities, our partners like the Global Fund and UNAIDS and the private sector. This partnership must be accountable, transparent and inclusive if we are to achieve our national targets.

said Dr Motsoaledi.

South Africa is among nine countries globally selected to roll out the medicine under the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria’s financial commitment to reach 2 million people across low- and middle-income countries.

Science continues to offer us new tools, but innovation alone is not enough. Equity must follow. Communities, especially young women and key populations, have waited too long for HIV prevention they can trust and use with dignity.

said Eva Kiwango, UNAIDS Country Director for South Africa. 

Through a US$ 29 million grant, South Africa will receive enough medicine to provide HIV prevention to 450 000 people at high risk of HIV during a rollout in 23 high-incidence districts across six provinces. The aim is to reach adolescent girls, young women, sex workers, men who have sex with men, people who use drugs and other at risk populations.

We are not gathered merely to discuss a medicine, but to reaffirm our collective commitment to justice and equality. No young woman, no queer person, no person with a disability must be left behind in the promise of HIV prevention.

said Steve Letsike, Deputy Minister for Women, Youth and People living with Disabilities. 

Across both days, a common message resonated: partnership is South Africa’s greatest strength. Dr Thembisile Xulu, SANAC CEO, called for unity of purpose noting, “We must move from conversation to coordination, and from coordination to action.”

Yvette Raphael, Co-founder of the Advocacy for Prevention of HIV and AIDS in South Africa emphasised the need to take the message to communities, saying, “Civil society must be given the tools for demand creation to provide research literacy in the way that we and communities understand.”