Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has called the United States’ decision to cut aid funding to South Africa a “wake-up call”, urging the country to become more self-reliant in developing its own resources.
The US had previously provided around $448.5 million for South Africa’s health programmes, particularly in the fight against HIV/Aids, but under President Donald Trump, funding to several countries, including South Africa, has been cut.
Ramaphosa emphasised that while it is the US’s right to withdraw funding, South Africa must focus on using its own resources to support its citizens’ welfare.
“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.
[WATCH] President Cyril Ramaphosa says, “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.” pic.twitter.com/8BjHen5e08
— SABC News (@SABCNews) March 25, 2025
“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.
The president made these remarks on Tuesday during the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA)’s ninth congress, which is being held at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.
The three-day conference is set to address various challenges currently impacting the healthcare sector, including the cessation of US funding.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
