The British government has demanded an explanation from Washington after the United States suspended all HIV funding to South Africa, citing unsubstantiated claims of discrimination against white Afrikaner farmers. The decision, confirmed by sources within the US State Department, freezes a $450 million aid package that accounts for 17% of South Africa's HIV treatment budget.
Whitehall sources say the Foreign Office was blindsided by the move, which came without consultation or evidence. 'This is reckless and dangerous,' a senior British diplomat told me. 'Thousands of people could die if this funding is not restored quickly.'
The suspension follows a campaign by right-wing US lobby groups alleging that South Africa's post-apartheid land reform programme disproportionately targets Afrikaners. But official UN data shows that black South Africans make up 79% of the population and hold just 4% of private farmland. Afrikaners, at 9% of the population, own 72%.
'This is not about land. It's about punishing a government that refused to be a vassal state,' said Dr. Thandi Mbeki, a health policy analyst at Wits University. 'The Trump administration is using a false narrative to dismantle healthcare for millions of black South Africans.'
The funding freeze comes as South Africa battles one of the world's largest HIV epidemics, with 7.8 million people living with the virus. The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) provides antiretroviral drugs to 2.3 million patients. Without it, treatment will run out within three months.
'The maths is brutal,' a source at South Africa's National Health Department told me. 'We can sustain patients for 90 days. After that, people start dying.'
Britain's intervention is driven by its own stake in global health. The UK is the second-largest donor to the Global Fund, which coordinates HIV treatment in South Africa. 'If PEPFAR collapses, the entire system buckles,' said a former UK ambassador to Pretoria. 'We would be forced to plug a gap we cannot fill.'
The crisis has exposed a wider rift between the US and European allies. EU diplomats say they are 'deeply concerned' by the unilateral action, which they view as a breach of international development norms. 'This sets a precedent that aid can be weaponised for political vendettas,' one diplomat said.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called the suspension 'economic warfare.' His government is seeking an urgent meeting with US officials, but sources say Washington is not backing down. 'They're demanding proof that Afrikaner rights are protected,' a close aide to Ramaphosa said. 'We have provided statistics, testimonies, and legal opinions. They're not listening.'
Meanwhile, civil society groups are mobilising. The Treatment Action Campaign has filed a lawsuit in South Africa's High Court to compel the government to find alternative funds. 'The state cannot hide behind diplomatic negotiations while people die,' said chairperson Sibongile Tshabalala.
As the clock ticks, the true cost is measured in human lives. Each day without funding means 240 more HIV patients will lose access to treatment. For them, this is not a diplomatic spat. It's a death sentence.
Britain's demand for answers may be the last chance for a policy reversal. But with the US election looming, experts fear the freeze could become permanent. 'The world is watching,' the former UK ambassador said. 'If we let this stand, no aid programme is safe.'
