Join the South African Network of People Who Use Drugs (SANPUD) and our community for the Annual General Meeting on 16 October 2025 at 4 pm at Crystal Towers, Century City, with a Zoom option for remote attendees.

South Africa cannot fix what it cannot see. On International Overdose Awareness Day, peers, clinicians, researchers, and community leaders faced a hard truth: non-fatal overdoses are mostly invisible in formal systems, while fatal overdoses are undercounted. The poll we ran during the webinar gives us a clear compass. Community voices set the priorities, and the speakers showed how to act on them.

An unexpected pause in US foreign aid has rippled through harm reduction efforts from South Asia to southern Africa, shifting our shared landscape in profound ways. Harm Reduction International’s latest interactive overview brings together both published and behind-the-scenes data from the 2024 Cost of Complacency and Global State of Harm Reduction reports. It reveals how the Global Fund picks up a large share of support and how PEPFAR’s USD 7.9 million in 2022 drove HIV prevention and opioid agonist therapy for 27 000 people across seven key countries.

Call for Board Members
The South African Network of People Who Use Drugs (SANPUD) seeks dedicated, passionate individuals to join our board of directors. We invite applications from candidates who share our commitment to advocating for the rights, health, and dignity of people who use drugs (PWUD) in South Africa. Ideal candidates should possess relevant expertise and experience in advocacy, harm reduction, healthcare, legal reform, human rights, research, or community mobilisation. Preference will be given to applicants who are members of the PWUD community, ensuring meaningful representation and inclusion in our governance.

​Roles and Responsibilities
Board members will:

• Provide strategic leadership and guidance to SANPUD.
• Ensure effective oversight of SANPUD’s operations, policies, and governance.
• Actively contribute to fundraising and resource mobilisation.
• Advocate publicly for SANPUD’s mission and objectives.
• Attend regular board meetings and participate in decision-making processes.

​How to Apply
​Interested candidates should use this link https://forms.gle/QYxkC9vG6kWjKV8a9 to submit a CV and a brief cover letter highlighting their relevant experience, expertise, and motivation to join SANPUD’s board. The link will be closed on 01 September 2025. Should you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected]
SANPUD values diversity and strongly encourages members of the PWUD community to apply.

When recent headlines branded people who use drugs as uncaring irresponsible mothers, such judgmental coverage reignited fear, further driving women who use drugs underground and away from safe services, paving the way for unregistered rehabilitation centres to operate unchecked. 

​Advance Access & Delivery South Africa (AA&D SA) is pleased to announce the upcoming Nina Manzi Wellness Day, taking place at the Bellhaven Harm Reduction Centre in Greyville, Durban, on 18 June 2025.

Members of SANPUD (the South African Network of People who Use Drugs) are playing a crucial role in ensuring that the voices of people who use drugs are not only heard but actively shape the conversations that matter most. By organising peer-led forums, participating in policy consultations, and collaborating with human rights organizations, SANPUD members make sure that the lived experiences and insights of their community are brought to the forefront in discussions about drug policy, health services, and social justice. 

As a lecturer at the Division of Clinical Associates at the University of Witwatersrand, I am reminded daily that the heart of nursing is advocacy—advocacy for science, for public health, and, most crucially, for the lived experiences and dignity of those we serve. This responsibility is nowhere more urgent than in maternity care for women on the margins.  

​South Africa stands at a dangerous crossroads. The abrupt disruption to HIV and harm reduction funding is not just a financial issue—it is a matter of life and death for millions. Since the United States’ (USAID) funding cut under President Trump, South Africa faces an R8 billion shortfall in funding for HIV and AIDS, threatening over 150 NGOs, more than 15,000 health workers, and the very foundation of the country’s fight against HIV, TB, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). If unaddressed, this setback will not only stall but could reverse our progress, costing lives, especially among our most vulnerable: people who use drugs (PWUD), sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people in prison.