Sexual Health clinics close their doors as Trump ceases USAID in South Africa

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This February, along with a volume of other legislative amendments, President Trump released an executive order freezing foreign aid for 90 aids. In a statement such as that, it is hard to understand the ways such an order can affect global socio-political foundations. However, in South Africa, it is at present affecting one of their most vulnerable populations, suffering from HIV. 

The fight against HIV/AIDS is not over in South Africa, being one of the world's worst epidemics to this day. According to the South African Government statistics, in 2022 just under 8.5 million people were living with HIV in South Africa. Amongst adults aged 15-49, it is estimated that just under 20% of the population is HIV positive. So with an unprecedented cut in funding, South Africa’s HIV-positive population succumbed to face their worst nightmare. 

Since the President was sworn in just over a month ago, a Sexual Health clinic in Johannesburg’s inner-city district has already closed its doors to its patients, unable to distribute their life-saving medication, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). The BBC interviewed a sex worker, one of South Africa’s 5.5 million positive with HIV, who was left in fear when she was unable to retrieve her medication and rely on what used to be her lifeline. 

The US’s support of South Africa was established in 2003 by George W. Bush in his President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which is estimated to have saved at least 26 million lives since its inception. With this relief which had become ingrained into South African society, many locally-run clinics are dealing with the consequences. 

Yet, whilst those populations do so, Trump’s global audience nervously awaits further pronouncements of his latest socio-economic endeavours. In regards to ending USAID in South Africa, the President complained about the country’s confiscating of land, igniting rhetoric that rests on South Africa’s white population being a marginalised group at threat, subjected to what Trump labelled a genocide from the Black majority. 

So, as we see a Presidential attempt to redress what he sees as injustice, vulnerable civilians are witnessing the consequences. After 90 days, it is fair to say that a large population of economically dependent states will be anticipating an agreement or solution of some sort.