Sex workers organisation, Sisonke, says the halting of the US President’s Pepfar funding has left their members vulnerable.

President Donald Trump pulled the plug on the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funding fund last month.

South Africa has received billions of US Dollars to help control the spread and effects of HIV/AIDS since Pepfar’s inception in 2003.

More than 100,000 people in the country engage in sex work.

Sisonke National Movement Spokesperson, Yonela Sinqu, says the now closed mobile clinics provided non-discriminatory healthcare to their members.

“Those clinics used to offer not only HIV care, but they also used to offer psychosocial support for our members. So, they used to offer gender affirming therapy for our other members who are transitioning from male to female, or female to male. We also had programs for people who use or inject drugs. So this is the connection that we had with these clinics, of keeping our members safe and keeping our members healthy. And we’d also seen an increase in the number of clients of sex workers also engaging with these clinics,” says Sinqu.

Speaking during a Parliament debate last week, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi says told Member of Parliament that the United States of America owed South Africa nothing.

The minister made these remarks during the National Assembly’s urgent debate discussing the US decision to stop aid to South Africa.

Motsoaledi told members of Parliament that the country needed to be self-reliant.

“Trump doesn’t owe us any cent. Trump doesn’t owe south africa any cent  whatsoever. And for that reason, we need to stand on our own. We must not waive this crises. For that reason honorable malema I am challenging this house, can we call a debate to come and debate in this house, why all of us here including all well to do South Africans who are on medical aid, why are we still getting heavy subsidise to stay on private medical aids? Is it fair? Should we be doing that during this difficult moment?,” said Motsoaledi.

Cabinet Lekgotla | PEPFAR was contributing 17% towards combating HIV/Aids in SA: Motsoaledi