The National Treasury is expected to approach parliament with a special appropriation bill intended to address a shortfall in the health sector after withdrawal of aid by the US earlier this year.
The US Supreme Court on Friday extended an order that allows Trump to keep the freeze on more than $4bn in foreign aid. The funds were initially allocated by Congress but deemed wasteful by the Donald Trump administration.
The Treasury in a government notice on Friday said the mooted bill provides for “the appropriation of an additional amount of money for the requirements of the vote of health for the 2025/26 financial year to address the shortfall resulting from the withdrawal of international donor funding to the health sector”.
The department did not specify when it will table the legislative instrument which allocates additional public funds to departments outside of the regular annual budget.
“A copy of the Special Appropriations Bill will be made available on the National Treasury website once the bill is introduced in the House,” the Treasury said.
SA’s laws make provision for special appropriation bills to cure unforeseen events, with such bills asking legislators to sanction the withdrawal of funds from the national revenue fund.
The Trump administration early this year withdrew the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) as it pursued its “America First” policy.
Experts have said Pepfar, which was first introduced by former US president George Bush in 2003, accounts for a significant chunk of SA’s HIV response. The aid supported the department of health in 27 HIV/Aids high-burden districts out of 52 districts in the country in eight provinces, with the exception of the Northern Cape.
In the aftermath of the withdrawal of Pepfar, the department of health led by Aaron Motsoaledi presented plans to the Treasury and asked for help. At the same time other funders were approached, both domestic and globally. This was after Treasury asked the department to present it with 10 plans — one for each province and the 10th for national.
These engagements saw the Treasury release about R753m, made up of R590m for service delivery in provinces, R32m to the national department and R132m to the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) to support health researchers around the country. This was disclosed by Motsoaledi in the department’s budget vote speech in July.
“These amounts are intended to cover the most urgent needs and further allocations may be considered later,” Motsoaledi said at the time.
Godongwana in the May budget indicated that the withdrawal of the Pepfar funding, particularly through USAID, may require funding later this year.
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