South Africa’s Health Minister to hold talks over U.S. PEPFAR funding freeze

South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced that he will soon meet with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to discuss the U.S. decision to freeze funds for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The freeze is part of a review process to assess whether the funding aligns with former President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. PEPFAR contributes 17% to South Africa’s 44.4-billion-rand budget dedicated to combating HIV/AIDS. Motsoaledi’s department has already begun collecting data on the institutions that will be impacted by the freeze.