South Africa’s Department of Health has announced that a new breakthrough HIV prevention and treatment drug, Lenacapavir, will officially be launched on 5 June 2026 in Mpumalanga.
The announcement was made by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi during his budget vote speech, where he outlined major developments in the country’s ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS.
Lenacapavir is described as a groundbreaking antiretroviral injection that is administered twice a year. Each dose provides up to six months of protection, reducing reliance on daily pills or more frequent injections. This is expected to improve adherence to HIV prevention and treatment, especially among high-risk groups.
The rollout will begin in 360 health facilities located in high-burden districts across South Africa. Government has confirmed that the initial phase will focus on groups most vulnerable to HIV infection. These include adolescent girls and young women up to the age of 24, pregnant and breastfeeding women, female sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, and people who inject drugs.
Motsoaledi stated that South Africa is moving closer to the possibility of eliminating HIV as a public health threat. He highlighted improvements achieved through the country’s large-scale HIV counselling, testing, and treatment programmes, including increased life expectancy, reduced maternal and child mortality, and a decline in tuberculosis incidence.
He also noted that life expectancy in South Africa has risen to 66.9 years by 2025, compared to 54 years in 2010. Maternal mortality has dropped significantly, and under-five mortality rates have also improved due to expanded access to healthcare and HIV treatment programmes.
In addition to HIV efforts, the Minister warned that cervical cancer is becoming an increasingly serious health challenge, describing it as a “new HIV pandemic.” He explained that scientific advances now make it possible to eliminate cervical cancer through the World Health Organization’s 90-70-90 strategy.
This strategy aims for 90% HPV vaccination coverage among girls aged 9 to 15, screening of 70% of women twice in their lifetime, and treatment of 90% of women diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer.
South Africa has adapted this model due to its high HIV burden. The country will begin cervical cancer screening earlier and extend it to a wider age range, since many women diagnosed with cervical cancer are also HIV positive.
Overall, the government views the introduction of Lenacapavir as a significant step forward in strengthening HIV prevention efforts and improving long-term public health outcomes in South Africa.
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