The department has identified specific demographics for the initial phase of the rollout to ensure the most vulnerable populations receive immediate access.
South Africa is set to move beyond the era of pill fatigue with the official rollout of Lenacapavir, a revolutionary twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, scheduled to roll out from 5 June in Mpumalanga.
Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi unveiled the rollout plan during the department’s budget vote on Wednesday, describing the drug as a pivotal tool in the country’s mission to eliminate HIV as a public health threat.
Unlike current regimens that require daily tablets or bi-monthly shots, Lenacapavir provides six months of continuous protection with a single dose.
“In the next two weeks, we will be delivering Lenacapavir stocks to depots and health facilities. We will be starting with 360 health facilities in the high-burden districts of the country,” Motsoaledi explained.
Targeting high-burden groups
The department has identified specific demographics for the initial phase of the rollout to ensure the most vulnerable populations receive immediate access.
The priority list includes adolescent girls and young women up to the age of 24, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and transgender individuals.
The minister emphasised that the simplified injection schedule is expected to significantly improve adherence.
“We have specifically targeted the following categories of our population for prioritisation: Adolescent girls and young women up to age 24 years, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, female sex workers, men-having-sex-with-men, transgender people and injecting drug users,” he said.
The ‘new HIV pandemic’
While the injectable rollout took centre stage, Motsoaledi warned that the department is simultaneously pivoting to address cervical cancer, which he labelled South Africa’s “new HIV pandemic”.
Because 65% of women diagnosed with cervical cancer in South Africa are also HIV positive, the minister announced a localised “90-70-90” elimination formula. This plan extends the recommended screening ages of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to better protect South African women.
“We are forced by our unique and unwelcome position of being the world’s highest HIV/Aids burdened country… Hence, we extended our age cohort to start 10 years earlier and end 10 years later than the WHO determination,” Motsoaledi noted.
Legacy of the HIV campaign
The minister linked the introduction of Lenacapavir to a decade of success in taming the HIV scourge, noting that life expectancy in South Africa has climbed to 66.9 years as of 2025.
Reflecting on the progress made since 2010, Motsoaledi expressed confidence that the new injectable technology would finally allow the country to deal with the virus decisively.
“Honourable Members, we are in a position where we dare say we can eliminate HIV/Aids as a public health threat. All we have to do is to work hard and work hard together,” he concluded.
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