PEPFAR withdrawal has spurred on govt to become more self-reliant
CAPE TOWN - Deputy President Paul Mashatile said the withdrawal of funding from the United States (US) to fund the country's HIV/Aids programmes has spurred on government to become more self-reliant.
He said African governments need to use their own natural resources to fund their programmes and should not have to go cap in hand to anybody.
Again, responding to questions in the National Assembly on Thursday on the impact of the withdrawal of President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) funding, Mashatile said no HIV/Aids patient would suffer as a result.
READ: Godongwana lists PEPFAR withdrawal as one of several spending pressures in his budget
Mashatile has reiterated that the R8 billion in lost funding for HIV/Aids programmes in 2025 won't impact the supply of anti-retroviral (ARV) medication nor the target of getting another 1.1 million people on life-saving drugs before the end of 2035.
While the South African National Aids Council, which Mashatile chairs, is hoping the National Lottery comes through for it to plug the gap, Mashatile said if it does not, other options like the national fiscus are already being explored.
'I'm not saying we will abandon the US. They remain one of our biggest trading partners, but we must not go cap in hand to anyone.'
Mashatile was then involved in a tense exchange with the Freedom Front (FF) Plus's Philip van Staden, who said people were suffering as a result of government 'blunders'.
He wanted to know how thousands of healthcare workers who had lost their jobs due to the withdrawal of PEPFAR funding would be compensated, but he refused to clarify his comments when asked by Mashatile.
'People are suffering because of government blunders. I don't know what you are talking about. What blunders are those?'
Mashatile said government is looking to the BRICS groups of countries and the African Union (AU) to collaborate in the fight against HIV and Aids.
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Daily Maverick
7 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
As Constitutional Court turns 30, Ramaphosa vows support for judicial independence
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To commemorate 30 years since the establishment of the apex court and each landmark judgment which pushed SA closer to turning the Constitution into a living document. Delivering his keynote address, Ramaphosa said that since ConCourt was established, it has handed down judgments that have had a profound impact on the law in SA, including the abolishment of the death penalty in 1995, the 2002 right to health care and access to HIV/Aids treatment, the 2004 right of access to social security by permanent residents, among many others. While Ramaphosa praised the ConCourt for its meaningful work over the last 30 years, remaining unshaken when embroiled in political pressure and controversies, the president acknowledged that 'the advancement of socio-economic rights is not as far as we wish it to be, particularly with respect to housing and basic services'. Referencing the landmark Grootboom judgment, in which Irene Grootboom and her family's right to access adequate housing was affirmed by the ConCourt, Ramaphosa said it was a blight on SA's hard-won democracy that Grootboom died without her dream of a decent house being fulfilled. 'Deepening respect for constitutionalism across all sectors must start with the state. 'We must acknowledge the troubling irony of lauding the Constitutional Court's progressive judgments on one hand, especially on socio-economic rights, with the reality that the state apparatus has in many of these cases had to be compelled by this very court to fulfil its obligations,' said the president. 'Our people should not have to resort to litigation to have their rights realised, and this is the paramount consideration.' More support Ramaphosa said the state had on many occasions failed to support the court adequately and vowed that this would change. To this end, Ramaphosa vowed that the government would increase its support to the judiciary to ensure that it could execute its duties independently, effectively and with dignity. 'Government must and will provide a range of institutional, infrastructure, financial, administrative, and legal support. The support is crucial to maintaining judicial independence, which is a cornerstone of democracy and the rule of law,' he said. The challenges faced by ConCourt are well documented, especially concerning finalising matters against targets. The Constitutional Court Review found that over the years, the court's workload had increased significantly, which has led to longer processing times for judgments. The government is working to solve this. Ramaphosa said that funding for the ConCourt was mentioned for the first time in Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's recent Budget speech, with money being allocated to enhance access to justice and improve court services. 'We reaffirm our commitment to providing all the necessary support to our courts as they administer justice. At our meeting with the judiciary recently, we committed to taking steps to advance the independence of the judiciary and the future of our courts' administration,' he said. Speaking to journalists at the sidelines of the commemoration, Chief Justice Mandisa Maya, who is leading the commemoration, said Ramaphosa's announcement was a long time coming. 'We are quite happy, naturally, about this development,' said Maya. 'It was understood that the rendering of the judiciary to be fully independent would happen in two stages, the first one starting in 2013. It was anticipated that the finalisation of the process would be put into place soon thereafter, but it has dragged and dragged for well over a decade. It's never too late to do the right thing, here we are now, and moves are afoot,' Chief Justice Maya said. Targeting full judicial independence Maya said that the judiciary is in a hurry to finally obtain full judicial independence, jokingly adding that they would not allow the president and his team to delay the process any further. Standing next to Maya, Ramaphosa said that a joint committee had been appointed to work on the modalities, and everything that needs to be in place to ensure that the judiciary can execute its role without any hindrance. 'Its own independence as an entity has always been secured, it's just been the support that it needs from government that we are now putting in place,' Ramaphosa said. DM
IOL News
9 hours ago
- IOL News
Why Pride Month is a protest for LGBTQ+ rights
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Queer people in our society still face oppressions and unspeakable violences, to the point of being dangerously normalised. According to the Mamba Online, 622 queer people were murdered in the span of just three months. From hate crimes and violences such as corrective rape, to various forms of institutional biases, queer people grapple with challenges such as unemployment, gender pay parities, exclusion in leadership, and more, purely because of their sexual orientation. This, being imposed in a constitutional democratic society, is an absolute travesty. This Pride Month, South Africa must look inward. The problem is not a lack of solid legislation, it is the deep-rooted stigma that festers in families, in religious communities, in townships, in schools, and in our justice system. Police still mock victims of queerphobic violence, and even refuse to acknowledge them. The SAPS has, in the past, been severely criticised for its harsh, dismissive attitude towards homophobic crimes. 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Until queer lives are valued not just in law books but in everyday interactions, in homes, and in the hearts of our fellow citizens, our democracy remains incomplete. Pride means nothing if it leaves the most vulnerable among us behind. South Africa's youth — particularly during Youth Month — are uniquely positioned to be the driving force behind real change. Unburdened by some of the rigid prejudices of older generations, many young people are boldly challenging homophobia, transphobia, and the silence that surrounds queer issues in their communities. From student-led movements, to social media activism, the youth are demanding that queer rights be treated not as optional, but as essential to a just and inclusive society. They are reshaping cultural norms, holding institutions accountable, and creating spaces where queer identities are affirmed rather than erased. 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The youth are not only defending human rights in our society, but expanding the meaning of freedom for future generations. They are holding institutions accountable and demanding that the values enshrined in the Constitution become lived realities for all, including queer communities. In South Africa, everyone in our society knows the fight for freedom, human rights and true liberation — past and present. True Pride means more than survival. If Pride is to mean anything in South Africa, it must move all of us, from law to culture, from silence to solidarity. This means dignity, safety, and freedom for all queer people. We owe it to Hendricks, Thomas, and to the innumerable lives taken by rampant, inhumane queerphobia, to demand nothing less than true justice. It is evident that: 'To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.' Until South Africa confronts the hatred that lives beyond its laws, Pride will remain a protest, not a celebration. * Tswelopele Makoe is a gender and social justice activist and editor at Global South Media Network. She is a researcher, columnist, and an Andrew W Mellon scholar at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, UWC. The views expressed are her own. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media. Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.
eNCA
15 hours ago
- eNCA
Zambian ex-president to be buried in South Africa after funeral row
LUSAKA - The family of Zambia's late president, Edgar Lungu, announced on Friday that he will be buried in South Africa after a row with the Zambian government over its plans for a state funeral. Lungu's family on Wednesday stopped his body from being repatriated from South Africa, where he died in hospital on June 5, after it emerged that President Hakainde Hichilema planned to receive it upon arrival against the late leader's wishes. In response, Hichilema cut short an extended period of national mourning for Lungu, whom he replaced in 2021 after winning elections. Lungu's funeral and burial "will take place here in South Africa, in accordance with the family's wishes for a private ceremony", spokesman Makebi Zulu said in a statement. "The Lungu family continues to seek peace and unity amongst fellow Zambians during this time," the statement said, thanking the South African government for its "non-interference and respect of the... rights of the family". The cause of the former president's death at the age of 68 was not announced but he had been receiving specialised treatment in a clinic in Pretoria, his Patriotic Front party said. He was elected to lead the copper-rich southern African country in 2015 but lost elections six years later to Hichilema, from the United Party for National Development. Since then, his wife and children have been charged with corruption and possession of suspected proceeds of crime in what the family has claimed to be part of a political vendetta. Lungu's daughter Tasila Lungu was arrested in February on money laundering charges. She was previously detained alongside her mother and sister on fraud charges in 2024. Her brother, Dalitso, is also facing corruption charges. An initial seven days of mourning for Lungu was extended by another nine days to end on June 23, the day after the government had scheduled a state funeral for. But Hichilema ended the period of mourning four days early on Thursday in reaction to the family's refusal to allow the body to return.
