PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS, REDUCING STIGMA, AND COMMUNITY-LED INTERVENTIONS IMPORTANT IN COMBATTING HIV/TB

By Precious Mupenzi

• The Department of Social Development hosted an important webinar that saw policymakers, researchers and social sector practitioners examining ways to accelerate South Africa’s response to HIV, tuberculosis, and related social challenges.
• According to Dr Masindi Mashapha, Assistant Director: Coordination and Stakeholder Management, TB remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV.
• ⁠Addressing webinar participants, Dr Mashapha emphasised the responsibility placed on social sector departments to mitigate the catastrophic costs of TB, including loss of income, food insecurity, psycho-social distress, and household economic instability.

Eliminating tuberculosis (TB) requires moving beyond purely biomedical approaches to addressing the social and economic vulnerabilities that continue to place individuals and communities at risk, according to Dr Masindi Mashapha, Assistant Director: Coordination and Stakeholder Management.

She was speaking during a virtual webinar hosted by the Department of Social Development on Monday, 26 January 2026, on the Comprehensive HIV Strategy: Elevating the Department of Social Development’s mandate in advancing the goals of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) 2023–2028.

The webinar brought together policymakers, researchers and social sector practitioners to reflect on the department’s critical role in advancing South Africa’s response to HIV, TB, and related social challenges.

The webinar formed part of the government’s ongoing efforts to support the implementation of the NSP for HIV, TB and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) 2023–2028, with a specific focus on strengthening social protection, community-based interventions and multi-sectoral collaboration.

Delivering a presentation on the intersection of HIV and TB, Dr Mashapha highlighted that TB remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV, describing the two diseases as a “lethal syndemic” that will continue to undermine public health gains if not addressed holistically.

“HIV and TB accelerate each other’s progression. Addressing one without tackling the other — and without addressing poverty, food insecurity, stigma and substance abuse — limits our impact and weakens treatment outcomes,” she said.

Dr Mashapha emphasised that South Africa’s high HIV-TB co-infection rate places a responsibility on social sector departments to play a more deliberate role in mitigating the catastrophic costs associated with TB, including loss of income, transport expenses, food insecurity, psychosocial distress and household economic instability.

She underscored the Department of Social Development’s strategic contribution through social assistance, food and nutrition support, mental health and psycho-social services, substance and alcohol abuse programmes, and community-based care and support services.

“The Department of Social Development is uniquely positioned to address the social and economic vulnerabilities that fuel the TB epidemic and hinder treatment adherence. Social protection is not optional in the TB response — it is central to saving lives and restoring dignity,” Dr Mashapha said.

The webinar further outlined the department’s End TB Implementation Plan, which is aligned with the department’s Medium-Term Development Plan 2024–2029.

The plan focuses on integrated service delivery, community screening, strengthened referral systems, improved defaulter tracing and enhanced collaboration across government departments, civil society organisations and development partners.

Participants also reflected on the importance of placing people, families and communities at the centre of the response, promoting human rights, reducing stigma and ensuring that community-led and community-based interventions form a substantial part of the national HIV and TB response.

As South Africa accelerates efforts towards a TB-free and HIV-resilient society, the webinar concluded with a call for sustained multi-sectoral coordination and intensified community mobilisation ahead of key national milestones, including World TB Day in March 2026 and the South African TB Conference scheduled for June 2026.