People who use drugs, and people with lived and living experience of using drugs, stand at the centre of South Africa’s shift toward a human‑rights‑led and evidence‑based approach to drug policy. Their knowledge comes from daily reality, and their voices carry the clarity that policy discussions often miss. SANPUD’s participation in the Vusubuntu Coalition launch made space for these voices to be heard, supported by team members who prepared carefully, shaped their examples with dignity and showed up to speak as experts in their own lives. The media coverage that followed reflects how people, when given time, support and respect, strengthen national understanding of why decriminalisation matters. ​​

Lenacapavir is a new long‑acting HIV prevention option now available at selected clinics, and this page offers a simple  explaination of how it works, who can receive it and what people can expect when starting it.

As South Africa commemorates 50 years of Youth Day, young people in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape are taking steady steps that strengthen their health, leadership and communities.

When care moves closer to daily life, connection grows stronger and health becomes possible again.

Communities of people who use drugs do more than keep each other connected; they give people a voice in their own lives and a role in keeping one another safe and informed. This could be seen from city streets in South Africa to virtual rooms shared with women who use drugs across the continent, shaping a period of steady contact, shared learning and a widening sense of solidarity.

​On 20 April in Johannesburg, Charne Roberts, Advocacy Manager at SANPUD, joined a regional gathering of community leaders and partners to serve as a peer reviewer for the 2Gether 4 SRHR Innovation Fund. The invitation reflects a clear recognition of the expertise that grows from lived experience and the value of community leadership in shaping sexual and reproductive health and rights across East and Southern Africa.

Kenya’s first Harm Reduction Bill did not emerge in isolation—it grew from years of deliberate, feminist, community‑led organising supported by the Love Alliance, SANPUD, INPUD, and regional peer networks. 

​SANPUD played a central and highly visible role throughout the INHSU 2025 Conference, held from 14–17 October 2025 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.

The 7th Pan Africa ILGA Regional Conference took place in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg, from 24–28 November 2025, and marked SANPUD’s first-ever participation in this regional gathering. Representing SANPUD were Charne Roberts and Ruan Carsten, who used the space to strengthen alliances with LGBTQI‑led movements and position harm reduction within broader queer rights and health agendas.

Charne Roberts’ journey from survival to national advocacy is a powerful reminder that lived experience can drive real change—read how Love Alliance support helped her build FEMALIVE, document abuse, and shift services toward dignity and rights;