UMgungundlovu District Civil Society Forum

01/12/2025

All roads lead to the Caluza Indoor Sports Centre tomorrow as we gather for the Provincial World AIDS Day event.

See you there!

01/12/2025

Shining the light on World AIDS Day

Today, as we mark World AIDS Day under the theme “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response,” we recommit ourselves to closing the gap and ensuring that every person in our district is seen, supported, and served.

This theme reminds us that despite progress, challenges such as stigma, discrimination, retention in care, prevention gaps, and timely linkage to services continue to affect our communities. We uplift the powerful message of U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) and affirm the importance of HIV prevention, testing, treatment literacy, and community-led accountability. As civil society, we remain steadfast in driving an inclusive, equitable, human-centred HIV response that restores dignity, strengthens resilience, and leaves no one behind.

07/11/2025

Shining the spotlight on Disability Rights Awareness Month this 3 November to 3 December 2025.

06/11/2025

Second Provincial World AIDS Day Planning Meeting:

🗓 Meeting Date: Thursday, 6 November 2025
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Venue: Department of Public Works Auditorium, Pietermaritzburg

Today, we gathered for the 2nd KwaZulu-Natal Provincial World AIDS Day Planning Meeting to continue preparations for this year’s Provincial World AIDS Day Commemoration, scheduled to take place on 2 December 2025 right here in uMgungundlovu, at the Caluza Sports Grounds.

This meeting brought together key stakeholders including CSF to engage of on collaborative ways to ensure a unified, community-led and inclusive approach in making this event a success.

Discussions focused on the 95-95-95 targets, assessing our current standing, identifying shortfalls, and exploring practical ways to bridge existing gaps in HIV retention, prevention and adherence across uMgungundlovu, KwaZulu-Natal, and South Africa as a whole.

Furthermore, we also reflected on the “Close the Gap – 1.1 Million campaign, a national call to action aimed at identifying, reaching, and supporting the estimated 1.1 million people in South Africa who are living with HIV but are not yet on treatment.

As we build up towards World AIDS Day 2025, all sectors committed to amplifying community-led initiatives, awareness campaigns, and inclusive activities leading up to this important day.

We look forward to our next planning meeting where we will be highlighting roles and responsibilities, and in ensuring this event is a success and puts us on the map.

#95-95-95

29/10/2025

28/10/2025

Today we hosted an induction for the newly elected uMgungundlovu District Civil Society Forum sector leaders and a planning session for the upcoming Provincial World AIDS Day event, which will be taking place right here in uMgungundlovu.

This engagement brought together diverse sector representatives to deepen their understanding of their roles and responsibilities, strengthen collaboration, and ensure that all sectors are aligned in advancing our shared mandate to strengthen HIV related response, promoting accountability, and ensuring that no one is left behind in accessing prevention, treatment, and care services.

📸 Photography: Thembelani Jili - NR Shandisi - Youth Organization (uMgungundlovu District CSF Youth Sector Organizer)

🎨 Design, Edits, Content Creation & Messaging: Leoni Chamane - ILORA (UMgungundlovu District CSF Executive Secretary General)

#959595

25/10/2025

📢 uMgungundlovu District CSF | Induction for Newly Elected Leaders & World AIDS Day Planning

Greetings bahlali!

We’re excited to share the invitation poster for our upcoming meeting on Tuesday, 28 October 2025.

This engagement will focus on the induction of newly elected sector leaders, and it’s vital that all sectors are represented. Sector leaders who did not relaunch their structures at the uMgungundlovu District CSF elections on 19 September 2025 are also encouraged to attend.

The second session will focus on planning for World AIDS Day 2025, which will be hosted right here in uMgungundlovu, which is exciting news for our district!

As part of this engagement, we’ll also explore how sectors can participate, support build-up events, and capitalize on this opportunity to strengthen HIV response and community engagement as we are mandated to as part of efforts to bring back to care 1.1 million people living with HIV who already know their status back into care and treatment, and accelerating progress toward achieving the 95-95-95 HIV targets, ensuring that no one is left behind in accessing life-saving treatment and support.

14/10/2025

Join the National Roundtable on Lenacapavir Access and Sustainability in South Africa:

SANAC and the Department of Health are hosting a multi-stakeholder roundtable to discuss South Africa’s preparedness to roll out Lenacapavir, a new HIV prevention method recommended by the World Health Organization as an additional HIV prevention choice.

🗓️ Date: Tuesday, 14 – Wednesday, 15 October 2025
🕘 Time: 09h00
📍 Venue: Protea Hotel OR Tambo, Kempton Park
🎤 Keynote Address: Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi

You can also join online via Zoom:
🔗 Join Zoom Meeting
💻 Meeting ID: 884 6040 5629
🔑 Passcode: 110649

25/09/2025

Last week, the uMgungundlovu District Civil Society Forum hosted a two-day stakeholders’ engagement and held elections for new structural committees representing all CSF sectors.

In this video, John Mofokeng, District CSF Chairperson, and Nomfundo Msomi, our Resource Mobilizer, give key highlights of last week's engagements.

24/09/2025

Happy Heritage Day!

Today we honour the rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and histories that make us who we are. May we continue to celebrate our diversity, embrace unity, and carry forward the legacy of those who came before us.

23/09/2025

Introducing the newly elected uMgungundlovu District Civil Society Forum Executive Committee. From left: Ncazelo Zuma - Organizer (Treatment Action Campaign ), Nomfundo Msomi - Resource Mobilizer (Women Of Worth Movement Society), Dalindyebo Nkolisa - Deputy Secretary General (Inkunzi Isematholeni Foundation), Leoni 'Lee' Chamane - Secretary General (ILORA)Rachel Ntombela - Deputy Chairperson (uBuntu Psychology and Philosophy), and John Mofokeng - Chairperson (Eagle Training and Development).

23/09/2025

Last week, 18–19 September 2025, the uMgungundlovu District Civil Society Forum (CSF) held a two-day stakeholders’ engagement, directed by KZN CSF Provincial Chairperson Richard Shandu and Zonke Ndlovu, under the leadership of local uMgungundlovu District CSF Chairperson John Mofokeng.

On Day 1, some of uMgungundlovu’s anchor organizations and supporting partners including Inkunzi Isematholeni Foundation, Health Systems Trust, Right to Care South Africa, and TB HIV Care presented their oversight closing reports. This came in the wake of this year’s funding aid cuts, which continue to threaten HIV programming not only in South Africa but globally. These organizations were commended for their years of dedicated work in putting communities first. The CSF also provided inputs on a development plan to mitigate the funding crisis and ensure continued healthcare provision.

Further discussions focused on the Close the Gap Campaign, launched by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, which seeks to address the 1.1 million gap by linking an additional 1.1 million people living with HIV who are not on treatment back into care by the end of 2025. This initiative is crucial to achieving the 95-95-95 targets in South Africa and to ensuring that 1.1 million more people living with HIV are placed on antiretroviral therapy (ART) by December 2025.

Day 2 was dedicated to the uMgungundlovu District Civil Society Forum elections, with all respective sectors present. The IEC facilitated the process to ensure that elections were run equitably and in line with SANAC regulations and terms of reference. New structures were elected inclusive of the newly elected executive committee for uMgungundlovu District CSF.