UNAIDS South Africa

On this day in 1976, thousands of young people in Soweto stood up and demanded to be seen, heard, and educated in their own language. Their courage changed history.
50 years later, we honour that legacy by standing with a new generation — one that is driving solutions, demanding equity, and shaping healthier futures for all of us.
Young people are not just the future of ending AIDS. They are the present. They are leading the charge right now, and today we celebrate them. 💪🏾
Happy Youth Day & Day of the African Child 2026.

Let’s talk 🗣️
It’s official LEN is here … a twice yearly injectable that prevents HIV negative people from getting HIV!

It’s an option among the daily prevention pill, condom usage and the ring.

Check how it’s administered and whether it’s the option for you!

Whichever you decide - stay consistent to stay HIV negative 💉

Tonight UNAIDS is alongside the SANAC Private Sector Forum and South Africa’s business leadership for one purpose — to protect the gains this country has fought hard to achieve in the HIV and TB response.
South Africa has bent the curve. Expanded treatment. Saved lives. But those gains are not guaranteed.
The Private Sector Forum has the reach, the resources and the coordination to translate commitment into sustainable impact — across HIV, TB and beyond.
That is why we are here tonight.

💉 We’re excited to join His Excellency , and all stakeholders for the launch of the rollout this Friday, 5 June 2026.

A game-changing prevention option.

Samuel Shapiro gave one of our most honest and moving contributions at , on movement-building, tactical solidarity, and why opening every door wider makes it so much harder to close them again.

At , Dr. Daniel Conway challenged diplomats and policymakers to move beyond rainbow washing toward genuine engagement — by listening to civil society, investing in attitudinal research, and recognising that the Global South is not just a recipient of LGBTI advocacy, but increasingly a leader of it.

rep. Nonhlanhla Mkhize put it plainly at our commemoration. The gap between South Africa's progressive laws and lived community reality demands accountability, not just policy. Thank you, Nonhlanhla, for your fierce and grounded perspective.

's Ntokozo Mahlangu brought a powerful communications lens to our panel, reminding us that until we change the narrative, we cannot change the resourcing. Intentionality and intersectionality aren't buzzwords — they're strategies.