Twice-yearly HIV injection Lenacapavir set for Mpumalanga rollout from 5 June

Department to start Lenacapavir rollout in Mpumalanga on 5 June

Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, is scheduled to be rolled out from 5 June in Mpumalanga, the Health Minister announced during the department’s budget vote on Wednesday.

What the rollout will look like

The minister said the new injection offers six months of continuous protection with a single dose, distinguishing it from regimens that require daily tablets or bi-monthly shots. He told members that stocks will be delivered to depots and health facilities in the next two weeks and that the programme will start at 360 health facilities in the high-burden districts of the country.

Priority groups for first phase

The department has identified specific demographics to receive priority access during the initial phase. The minister said the rollout will prioritise:

• adolescent girls and young women up to age 24
• pregnant and breastfeeding mothers
• female sex workers
• men who have sex with men
• transgender people
• injecting drug users

The minister emphasised that the simplified injection schedule is expected to significantly improve adherence.

Cervical cancer focus alongside injectable rollout

Alongside the injectable rollout, the minister warned the department is shifting attention to cervical cancer, which he described as South Africa’s “new HIV pandemic”. He linked the two issues by noting that 65% of women diagnosed with cervical cancer in South Africa are also HIV positive, and announced a localised “90-70-90” elimination formula that extends screening ages beyond WHO recommendations for South African women.

Context and outlook

The minister framed the Lenacapavir introduction as part of a decade of progress against HIV, noting that life expectancy in South Africa rose to 66.9 years as of 2025. He said the country is now positioned to aim for eliminating HIV as a public health threat and called for collective effort to achieve that goal.

“In the next two weeks, we will be delivering Lenacapavir stocks to depots and health facilities. We will be starting with 360 health facilities in the high-burden districts of the country,” the minister said.

Article date: 13 May 2026