Over the past decade South Africa has made significant strides in controlling malaria. Malaria cases have been reduced by 85%, from 64,622 cases in the year 2000 to 9,866 cases in 2011. Deaths from malaria have also been reduced by 80%, from 458 to 89 for the same comparison years.

Having achieved the Millennium Development Goal target for malaria, South Africa continues to pursue a malaria elimination agenda, targeting local malaria cases and sharpening its malaria surveillance sys- tems to identify hotspots for local transmission and implement preventative and curative strategies. In the 15 countries of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), several challenges remain: the reintroduction of malaria through cross-border movement of infected persons, stock outs of essential malaria commodities, inadequate or bottlenecked funds, and poor data collection management.

As the host of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2013 Orange Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa has suc- cessfully raised the level of awareness about malaria prevention and treatment by harnessing the global popu- larity of football through the United Against Malaria partnership (UAM). Active public sector leaders, private sector and media partners, and football organizations have strategically worked together to expand the reach of UAM in the region and throughout the continent.

Current UAM Private Sector Partners in South Africa:

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Looking forward

United Against Malaria is uniquely situated to assist with upcoming malaria elimination efforts in South Africa. As part of the final push needed to finally rid the country and region from malaria, the South Afri- can Department of Health has requested UAM’s assistance in provinces where malaria remains, as well as in cross-border initiatives, supporting advocacy and behavior change communication efforts. UAM will also feature in the upcoming Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Conference taking place in Durban in October 2013.