WATCH: Ramaphosa describes US funding cut to SA as a ‘wake-up call’, says ‘it’s their money’

President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the United States’ (US) decision to cut aid funding to South Africa as a “wake-up call” for the country to develop its own capabilities.

Ramaphosa was speaking on the sidelines of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa’s (Denosa) ninth national congress, taking place at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg on Tuesday.

The four-day conference will deal with a number of issues facing the healthcare sector, including the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) bill, post-Covid health challenges and the withdrawal of US funding for HIV/Aids programmes.

US funding and SA’s health programmes

Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump has cut funding to several countries, including South Africa, creating a funding gap for health organisations across the country.

South Africa received about $448.5 million (R8.5 billion) from the US for the country’s health programmes, especially those supporting the fight against Aids.

Watch: Ramaphosa speaks about the US cutting funding to SA

President Cyril Ramaphosa has described US Aid cutting funding to South Africa as a “wake-up call” for the country to develop its own capabilities. Video: Supplied #USFunding #CyrilRamaphosa #Healthcare@TheCitizen_News pic.twitter.com/CLsrmMgqU5

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‘It’s their money’

Ramaphosa said the government has had discussions about the US cutting off its funding.

“It is entirely within their own right. I mean, it is their own money. In many ways, it’s a wake-up call on our part as South Africans that we’ve got to find ways of being self-reliant, of relying on our own resources, and that is what our people expect, even within our fiscal constraints and challenges.

“So this is a matter that we are discussing, and our sovereignty is important, and our sovereignty as a country should also mean that we must find ways all the time to look after the welfare of South Africans, with our own resources,” Ramaphosa said.

SA must take control

In January, Wits University’s Faculty of Health Science Dean, Professor Shabir Madhi, told The Citizen the South African government must assume control of the country’s health programmes, which Ramaphosa echoed.

Madhi said it is the responsibility of the government to provide healthcare to its citizens.

“Certainly, government has been assisted by the US, but at the same time, it can’t be a dependency on the US to ensure that the health of our citizens is protected.

“So, government has to come to the fore in terms of ensuring they put into place mitigation to actually minimise disruption to services,” Madhi said.

Nations deploying ambassadors

With President Cyril Ramaphosa ready to receive letters of credence from heads of mission-designate from 14 countries tomorrow, the ambassador of the United States is not on the list of nations deploying their ambassadors.

Among the new ambassadors to present their credentials to Ramaphosa are those from Gabon, Russia, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Türkiye, Japan, Portugal and Senegal.

Letters of credence are official diplomatic documents presented to the president by heads of mission-designates who their respective governments have nominated to serve as ambassadors to South Africa.

The announcement by the Presidency came amid the ongoing diplomatic spat between South Africa and the Trump administration.

Ex-ambassador Rasool drama

This after former SA ambassador to the US Ebrahim Rasool was declared persona non grata by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he claimed the Trump administration was promoting white supremacy, among other things.

Rasool has since returned to South Africa to a hero’s welcome in Cape Town, despite Ramaphosa cautioning against behaving in a way that would further strain the relations between the two countries.

The debate was still ongoing about who should replace Rasool in Washington.

The DA suggested its former leader and former envoy, Tony Leon.

But some said the president should not hurry the appointment and must selected a person who would truly represent the interests of the country, while others wanted Ramaphosa to stand up to Trump and insist on returning Rasool to the United States.

SA’s health budget

During the first annual budget under the government of national unity (GNU), Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced a substantial R277 billion allocation for healthcare in the 2024/25 fiscal year, projected to increase to R329 billion by 2027/28.

Reacting to the budget, Wayne Duvenage, CEO of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), said with international funding for HIV/Aids being withdrawn, South Africa must show leadership and accountability in health budgeting.

‘No urgency’

Duvenage said the budget speech showed no urgency in closing the looming HIV/Aids funding gap.

“Government cannot continue to rely on foreign donors to safeguard the health of millions of South Africans. Domestic funds must be allocated, and they must be spent efficiently and transparently.”

The termination of US funding poses significant implications for tertiary institutions, including substantial job losses.

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