In a decisive move to ramp up the prevention of HIV, President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially launched the game changing HIV prevention medication Lenacapavir in a ceremony on Friday.
The drug is administered via injection twice a year and offers a welcome relief from daily pills or the bi-monthly injections.
At the launch held at the Lillian Ngoyi Stadium in Secunda, Mpumalanga, President Ramaphosa said the day marks a “turning point in our nation’s fight against HIV”.
“To us, Lenacapavir is not just a medicine or a drug; it represents a major turning point in South Africa’s national story.
“It represents one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs since the advent of antiretroviral treatment. It represents the triumph of science over despair. It represents the power of innovation to save lives,” the President said.
According to 2025 Statistics South Africa records, an estimated 8.15 million people in South Africa are living with HIV, with millions on treatment.
“Few countries have carried the burden of HIV as heavily as South Africa.
“We have buried too many mothers and fathers. Too many sons and daughters. Too many teachers, workers, healthcare professionals and community leaders. The HIV epidemic has left scars on our society that can never be fully erased.
“Yet it is also true that few countries have responded with the courage, resilience and determination that South Africa has shown. Together, we built the largest HIV treatment programme in the world. Together, we fought for affordable medicines,” President Ramaphosa stated.
Now with Lenacapavir sharpening South Africa’s treatment arsenal, there is optimism for a possible future where the nation is freed from the burden of HIV.
“[Lenacapavir] represents hope… [for] young women who continue to face a disproportionate burden of HIV infection; hope for families and communities that have lived through decades of loss; hope for a generation that may one day know HIV not as a threat, but as a chapter in history.
“Lenacapavir gives us an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen HIV prevention. A single injection administered twice a year can provide powerful protection against HIV infection. This is not merely a medical advance. It is a practical intervention that can transform lives.
“It reduces barriers to adherence. It expands choice. It strengthens dignity, and it empowers people to take control of their health and their future,” President Ramaphosa noted.
Ready for the rollout
The President highlighted that some 360 public health facilities across six provinces and 24 high-burden districts are poised to deliver this transformative intervention, with an ambitious target of reaching some 1 million people by the end of 2027.
“Over the next three years, we aim to reach three million people. This is not simply a health target. It is a nation-building target.
“Every HIV infection prevented is a life protected, a family preserved, a future secured,” he said.
The President cautioned, however, that Lenacapavir is “not a silver bullet” and that its success will depend on education, user responsibility and an end to “stigma and discrimination”.
He reiterated that South Africa now stands on the precipice of a new chapter in the history of the country’s HIV response, defined by science, partnership, “dignity, choice and hope”.
“One day, future generations will look back on this period and say that this was the moment when humanity finally gained the upper hand against HIV. That this was the moment when an HIV-free generation moved from aspiration to possibility. And that this was the moment when South Africa once again helped to lead the world towards a better future.
“Let us sustain the effort until this battle is won. Together, we can protect a generation. Together, we can end new HIV infections. Together, we can end AIDS as a public health threat.
“Together, we can build a healthier, stronger and more hopeful South Africa,” President Ramaphosa concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
