Maseru, Lesotho:
In a sunlit shack on the outskirts of Lesotho’s capital Maseru, 34-year-old Lieketseng Lucia Tjatji sits under a black cloth pinned to a tin wall, adorned with the image of a lion’s head.
To her left, a wooden table is cluttered with containers filled with roots, powders, and dried herbs—remedies she now offers to HIV patients who have lost access to vital medication following the freeze on U.S. aid imposed by President Donald Trump in February.
"I am a traditional doctor, or a witch doctor," Tjatji said with a steady voice. "I have helped people. More and more are coming."
These are the desperate individuals from a nation plagued by poverty and grappling with one of the highest HIV rates globally, where roughly one in four adults lives with the virus, according to government data.
Tjatji herself is HIV-positive. A registered traditional healer and fashion designer, she acknowledges that doctors question the effectiveness of her treatments and advise those on antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) not to mix their medications with anything not clinically tested.
However, with the government-provided ARVs she has diligently taken since 2003 now limited to three-month refills due to Trump’s aid cuts—and no guarantee of future supplies—Tjatji finds herself with few alternatives.
"I don’t want to die. I am so young, and I don’t want to die," she told AFP.
Holistic Health
Traditional healers, known as sangomas, are respected across southern Africa for their healing abilities and spiritual guidance.
Many sangomas once viewed HIV as a curse from the spirit world, believing patients had been bewitched. Some even claimed they could cure AIDS.
New practitioners like Tjatji undergo lengthy initiation and training before they are allowed to administer remedies passed down through generations.
With USAID cuts making modern medicine inaccessible, it’s natural for people to turn to a traditional system that has been established over time, said Mpho Roberta Masondo, director of the South Africa-based African National Healers Association.
"Traditional medicine plays a vital role in holistic health and community well-being," Masondo, also a traditional healer, told AFP.
At the same time, she emphasized that antiretroviral therapy "remains the most effective way to suppress HIV."
Rolling Back Progress
Since 2016, Lesotho—a small mountainous kingdom surrounded by South Africa—has received over $850 million in HIV funding from Washington through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. government’s primary program for combating HIV.
After a complete halt in February, only 28% of PEPFAR support had resumed in Lesotho by mid-March, according to the UN AIDS agency. Nearly half of the programs it funded were terminated, including those for HIV prevention through PrEP medication (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and male circumcision.
The cash-strapped health ministry is ill-equipped to fill the gap. Health Minister Selibe Mochoboroane told parliament in March that the 2.4 billion maloti ($127 million) budget for the 2025-26 financial year did not account for any U.S. withdrawal from its foreign aid commitments.
Ineffective Treatment
Experts warn that turning to alternative remedies could undo progress in fighting HIV in Lesotho, which five years ago achieved the UN’s "90-90-90" goal: 90% of people with the virus diagnosed, on treatment, and achieving viral suppression.
"I’m quite worried," said Jessica Justman, senior technical director at ICAP, a global health center at New York’s Columbia University.
"Using ineffective treatment is the equivalent of not taking any treatment at all," she said. This leaves people living with HIV vulnerable to opportunistic infections like tuberculosis, meningitis, and pneumonia.
Still, Masondo insists that traditional methods can offer relief.
"Traditional healing is not just about the herbs; it’s a holistic, comprehensive approach that strengthens the body, mind, and spirit," she said.
"The ultimate or real danger is not traditional healing itself—it’s misinformation," she added.
In the shack that serves as her consulting room, Tjatji expressed concern that alternative medicines may not help her since her body has grown accustomed to regular antiretroviral treatment.
Her greatest fear is that HIV will make her vulnerable to another bout of tuberculosis. She wonders if her government might find a way to help in the face of apparent U.S. indifference.
"Maybe Lesotho will make a difference and produce the pills for us."
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
For the latest updates and more news, visit ZTC News and Z News Today. Stay informed with trusted sources!