According to Lesufi. unlawful cattle movement sparked FMD outbreaks now affecting more than 260 000 animals across the province.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi was the latest to add his voice to the urgent need for the development of local foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines in South Africa.
Lesufi said yesterday Gauteng was one of the provinces the FMD outbreak had hit the hardest.
Gauteng outbreak linked to illegal cattle movement
“The origin of the Gauteng outbreak can be traced back to April 2025 in the West Rand municipality, where investigations indicate the likely cause was the unlawful transport of cattle from an infected zone in KwaZulu-Natal for auction,” he said.
Lesufi said since 23 January, Gauteng was actively managing 195 lab-confirmed outbreaks.
“It is estimated that more than 261 000 animals are affected in Gauteng. This crisis has serious consequences for the economy and society at large,” he said.
“It disrupts trade, threatens jobs in the livestock sector and affects the income of small-scale and community farmers.”
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FMD-free status goal
Lesufi said while the National FMD Control Strategy aims to regain FMD-free status, regulated under the Animal Diseases Act for over 10 years, the goal of the provincial government is to quickly suppress the virus and achieve disease freedom status as soon as possible, while complying with national and international World Organisation for Animal Health standards.
Some of the measures include the establishment of roadblocks, checkpoints and route controls in identified high-risk areas, with special attention to be paid to access routes in places such as Dinokeng game reserve, where there is an imminent risk to disease-free buffalo populations and other valuable biodiversity assets.
“Furthermore, Gauteng adds its voice to the urgent need for the development of local vaccine manufacturing capacity in South Africa, led by a fully resourced Agricultural Research Council, to ensure self-reliance in future health crises,” he said.
Sakeliga, the Southern African Agri Initiative and Free State Agriculture has, meanwhile, written a letter of demand to Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen to involve the private sector in the fight against FMD.
“What our clients have observed is that the minister, his department and the chief director of Veterinary Services have restricted the procurement and administration of the vaccines exclusively to the state and state-authorised persons.
“Our clients are particularly concerned about the centralised monopsony on vaccines imposed by the state, especially in the context of what is likely to become one of the most significant agricultural and animal health crises in recent history,” they said.
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