Ramaphosa says US pulling funding from SA a wake-up call 'to find ways of being self-reliant'

JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the United States (US) pulling its funding from South Africa as a wake-up call for the country to develop its own capabilities.

The president was speaking on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA)’s ninth congress, taking place at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.

The three-day conference is expected to discuss several issues currently facing the healthcare sector, including the withdrawal of US funding.

Since Donald Trump took over the US presidency in January, he has cut US aid to a number of countries across the world.

As a result, South Africa has lost about R8 billion towards its efforts to fight HIV/AIDS.

Ramaphosa said it was the South African government, not foreign states, that shoulders the responsibility of the country’s healthcare.

"We have had discussions about the stoppage of funding. It is entirely within their own rights, it’s their money and in many ways, it’s a wake-up call, as South Africans, that we have to find ways of being self-reliant, of relying on our own resources and that is what our people expect, even within our fiscal constraints and challenges."

Ramaphosa said discussions on plugging the funding gaps were still ongoing.