PRESS STATEMENT: Roll out of HIV prevention tools will help fight the pandemic but integration is key
By: Aphelele Buqwana
13 February 2026
South Africa’s fight against the HIV pandemic will receive a major boost with the roll out of the six-monthly HIV prevention injection that will be rolled out this year, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
But the TB Accountability Consortium flags the need for improved integration of HIV and TB services to ensure that the two epidemics are simultaneously dealt with.
In his state of the nation address last night, SA President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country was finally able to start imagining a country without AIDS.
“In support of our programmes to prevent and ultimately eliminate HIV, we will be undertaking a massive rollout of Lenacapavir, a 6-monthly injection that has proven highly effective in preventing transmission of HIV,” said Ramaphosa.
The country has been allocated R520-million from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. With this money the country will be able to buy the injection for more than 450 000 people over two years.
While TBAC welcomes the renewed focus on HIV prevention and the use of innovative prevention tools, we note the strong links between HIV and TB that need attention.
More than 54% people who have TB are coinfected with HIV. TB remains a leading cause of death among people living with HIV, claiming around 31,000 lives each year. It disproportionately affects working-age adults, threatening household stability and undermining economic productivity.
“This is obviously a good move. But beyond Lencapivar we need to think about how to better integrate HIV and TB service delivery.
“Following the president’s statements, our call to the Finance Minister for his budget is to think about how these services are rollout at a district level so that we can ensure everyone has equal access to treatment for both diseases,” said TBAC programme director Russell Rensburg.
For more information or for interviews contact:
Aphelele Buqwana
+27 84 667 8162