Gauteng beats first-month target in Lenacapavir rollout
The treatment is offered at 133 clinics across Gauteng, all of which have received sufficient Lenacapavir stock to support service delivery.
The Gauteng Department of Health has surpassed its first-month target for the rollout of Lenacapavir, with more than 6 000 people already initiated on the groundbreaking HIV prevention medicine.
The province officially began its phased rollout of Lenacapavir on June 8, with the aim of providing an additional layer of protection for people at substantial risk of acquiring HIV as South Africa works towards ending Aids as a public health threat by 2030.
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The department said the programme exceeded expectations within its first month.
“Since the commencement of the phased rollout, a total of 6 130 eligible clients have been initiated on Lenacapavir across Gauteng, representing 131% of the provincial monthly target of 4 672 initiations,” the department said.
“Currently, the treatment is offered at 133 clinics across the province, all of which have received sufficient Lenacapavir stock to support service delivery.”
The provincial health department said the strong uptake was recorded across all five health districts.
Tshwane recorded the highest number of initiations with 2 216 clients, followed by Johannesburg with 1 981, Ekurhuleni with 1 435, Sedibeng with 377 and the West Rand with 121.
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The department said it has sufficient supplies to support the continued expansion of the programme.
“Provincial stock monitoring indicates that more than 7 400 injection packs and over 7 500 oral tablet packs remain available at reporting facilities,” the department said.
In addition, a second consignment of 9 830 Lenacapavir packs was received at the Medical Supplies Depot on June 26 2026 to support continued programme expansion and ensure uninterrupted access to the medicine across the province.
While welcoming the early success of the rollout, the department stressed that Lenacapavir should be used as part of a broader HIV prevention strategy.
“The department reminds members of the public that Lenacapavir does not protect against sexually transmitted infections other than HIV, nor does it prevent unintended pregnancies.”
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The department said that individuals using Lenacapavir are therefore encouraged to continue practising safer sex, including the consistent and correct use of condoms, regular Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) screening, and continued access to sexual and reproductive health services available at public healthcare facilities.
It also praised healthcare workers and programme teams for helping achieve the milestone.
“The department commends healthcare workers, programme managers and facility teams across the province for ensuring that eligible clients can access this important intervention.”
“Expanding access to comprehensive HIV prevention services, particularly among populations at increased risk of HIV infection, remains a top priority of the department.”
