DSD’S STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS CENTRAL TO ACHIEVING NATIONAL HIV, TB AND STI TARGETS

By Precious Mupenzi

• HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are not only biomedical conditions, but social and developmental challenges driven by poverty, inequality, stigma, discrimination and gender-based violence.
• Against this backdrop, the National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs 2023–2028 has entered a critical phase.
• ⁠The Department of Social Development convened a national webinar bringing together all the role players to find ways to accelerate progress towards ending HIV, TB and STIs as public health threats by 2030.

With South Africa still carrying one of the world’s highest burdens of HIV and tuberculosis (TB), the implementation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for HIV, TB and sexually transmitted infections 2023–2028 has entered a critical phase.

Increasingly, attention is shifting beyond biomedical responses to the social conditions that influence prevention, access to services and long-term treatment outcomes.

Against this backdrop, the Department of Social Development convened a national webinar on 26 January 2026, bringing together government officials, civil society organisations, development partners and representatives of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), focusing on examining how social development interventions can accelerate progress towards ending HIV, TB and STIs as public health threats by 2030.

Opening the engagement, Deputy Minister of Social Development, Ganief Hendricks, emphasised that the success of the NSP depends not only on clinical services but also on addressing the social and structural drivers that influence vulnerability, access to services, and long-term treatment retention.

“The Department of Social Development plays a critical role in breaking down barriers such as poverty, inequality, gender-based violence and social exclusion, which continue to undermine progress in the fight against HIV, TB and STIs,” said Hendricks.

Outlining the purpose and framing of the webinar, technical advisor Matseliso Pule explained that the engagement was intentionally designed as a strategic platform to strengthen shared understanding, alignment and accountability in implementing the department’s comprehensive HIV, TB and STI Strategy under the NSP 2023–2028.

She stressed that the session was not a once-off, but part of a broader effort to ensure that social development interventions translate into real, measurable impact as South Africa moves closer to the 2030 global targets.

“This webinar is about making sure that our plans move from paper to practice.

“The NSP challenges us to go beyond biomedical responses and to focus on quality of life, reduced inequalities, psychosocial support and social protection. Clinics cannot do this work alone – and thankfully, they don’t have to. This is where the mandate of social development becomes central,” said Pule.

A highlight of the webinar was a presentation by Dr Nkhensani Nkhwashu, Executive Manager: NSP Implementation at SANAC, who underscored the strategic importance of the Department of Social Development’s contribution to achieving national HIV, TB and STI outcomes.

She explained that the department interventions are critical because they address determinants that shape prevention uptake, treatment initiation and long-term retention, particularly among vulnerable and priority populations.

Dr Nkhwashu outlined how the NSP’s four interlinked goals rely heavily on social development interventions: breaking down social and structural barriers; ensuring equitable access to services; embedding HIV, TB and STI responses within resilient systems for health and social protection; and sustaining the NSP through accountable leadership, resourcing and partnerships.

Providing an overview of the Comprehensive HIV, TB and STI Strategy 2023–2028, Mpudi Phaka, Deputy Director: HIV and AIDS Prevention, highlighted that South Africa continues to face a heavy HIV and TB burden, with women, adolescent girls and young women, children and key populations most affected.

Despite progress in treatment access and viral suppression, slow progress towards the 95-95-95 targets underscores persistent gaps in prevention, linkage to care and adherence.

“Our strategy recognises that HIV, TB and STIs are not only biomedical conditions, but social and developmental challenges driven by poverty, inequality, stigma, discrimination and gender-based violence.

“Through behaviour change programmes, psycho-social support and social protection interventions, the Department of Social Development works to change the conditions that place individuals and communities at risk,” said Phaka.

She added that the strategy prioritises key and vulnerable populations, promotes integrated HIV, TB and STI services, and strengthens partnerships with provinces, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), the National Development Agency (NDA), civil society and community-based organisations to create an enabling environment for prevention, care and support.

Strengthening accountability and demonstrating impact was the focus of a presentation by Chris van Rooyen, Deputy Director: Programme Implementation – Monitoring and Evaluation, who unpacked how the department is measuring results of the Comprehensive Strategy through a Results-Based Management (RBM) approach.

Van Rooyen explained that RBM places development results at the centre of planning, implementation, learning and reporting, and is guided by principles such as clarity, participation, partnerships, accountability and continuous learning.

He noted that measuring results enables the department to assess effectiveness, identify gaps in service delivery, strengthen inter-sectoral collaboration and ensure accountability to communities affected by HIV, TB and STIs.

“The purpose of measuring results is not compliance, but learning and improvement. It allows us to strengthen coordination, improve service delivery and ensure that our interventions under each NSP goal lead to real change on the ground,” Van Rooyen said.

He further highlighted the role of a theory of change in guiding implementation of the strategy, ensuring that interventions contribute to outcomes such as improved safety and well-being in communities, re-engagement of people living with HIV who are not in care, and improved retention and adherence to treatment to achieve sustained viral suppression.

The webinar also highlighted the department’s delivery platforms that provide practical entry points for NSP-aligned services at scale, including social assistance linkages, social work and case management, services for orphans and vulnerable children, gender-based violence prevention and response, non-profit and community-based organisation networks, and community development programmes aimed at reducing stigma and strengthening community resilience.

The engagement underscored the importance of multi-sectoral collaboration, with participants from civil society, government departments and SANAC reaffirming their commitment to coordinated action, evidence-based implementation and accountability in support of the NSP.

The webinar forms part of the Department of Social Development’s ongoing efforts to ensure that social development programmes are fully integrated into South Africa’s national response, contributing meaningfully to the goal of eliminating HIV, TB and STIs as public health threats by 2030.