National Department of Health warns public about a grant for HIV positive people.
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The National Department of Health has issued a warning to the public about a misleading social media post falsely claiming that HIV-positive South Africans will receive a monthly grant of R1,200 starting in May 2026.
The post, which has been widely shared online, carries the headline: “HIV positive citizens will receive R1,200 grant from May 2026.” It goes on to claim that the payment forms part of a “new government initiative” allegedly announced by the Minister of Health.
According to the department, the claim is entirely false.
The post appears to originate from an account called “SA News Digest”, which does not appear to be a legitimate news source.
In a statement shared on social media, the department urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid spreading misinformation.
“The public is urged to fact-check information on social media before sharing it, providing personal information, or making any payments in response to such fake news,” the department said.
The warning comes amid growing concern about the spread of online scams and misinformation, particularly those that exploit vulnerable communities or sensitive health issues.
While the viral post about the supposed HIV grant is false, the government has recently highlighted efforts to strengthen the country’s HIV/AIDS response through increased funding and support for health programmes.
During the 2026 Budget Speech, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that R26 billion will be allocated to provinces to bolster the country’s HIV and AIDS programmes.
The funding will help support key interventions, including the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and the continued provision of antiretroviral treatment to millions of South Africans.
Godongwana said additional resources were being mobilised to ensure that critical programmes remain operational following funding challenges linked to international donors.
“As part of the targeted and responsible savings initiative, provinces will repurpose some of their funding to meet obligations towards PEPFAR,” he said.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.
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The announcement comes after several HIV/AIDS initiatives were impacted when the United States scaled back funding through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a major global programme supporting HIV treatment and prevention.
Organisations that received funding through the United States Agency for International Development were notified in February 2025 that their grants had been terminated, affecting a number of research and community health programmes.
Since its launch in 2003, PEPFAR has been credited with investing more than $100 billion in the global HIV/AIDS response, helping to save over 25 million lives and preventing millions of new infections worldwide.
The government says the new budget allocations are aimed at helping South Africa maintain the progress made in its HIV response despite the loss of some international funding streams.