With the classification of a State of Disaster by the President during the recent SONA, following a formal request by Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen in January 2026, South Africa has finally begun to turn the tide against the devastating outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). This decisive intervention comes at a critical time, with millions of farmers deeply concerned about the future of their livelihoods, food security, and export markets.
The arrival of an additional one million vaccines from Argentina and a further 1.5 million from Turkey has significantly strengthened national vaccination capacity. More importantly, the Minister has laid a clear and credible roadmap to ensure long-term disease control, including local production of 20 000 vaccines per week, that will rise to 200 000 doses per week by 2027, reducing both costs and foreign dependency.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes this evidence-based, decisive leadership. The Minister’s 10 year FMD control strategy has had the strongest possible start at national level, restoring confidence among farmers and industry stakeholders.
However, national leadership alone is not enough. We are deeply concerned by the lack of urgency, enforcement, and coordination by certain provinces and municipalities. Section 41 of the Constitution and the Animal Diseases Act place a clear duty on provincial and local authorities to prevent the spread of disease, enforce quarantines, report outbreaks, and uphold strict biosecurity protocols. Yet, in several provinces, these responsibilities are being ignored.
Nowhere is this failure more evident than in Gauteng, where the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, under Premier Panyaza Lesufi, continues to act in isolation, without urgency or meaningful support to farmers, despite Gauteng experiencing one of the most severe outbreaks in the country. As correctly highlighted by DA MPL Bronwynn Engelbrecht in the Gauteng Legislature, provincial leadership has failed to match the seriousness of the crisis.
In sharp contrast, the Western Cape has demonstrated what competent, accountable governance looks like: roadblocks and FMD checkpoints, rapid deployment of additional staff, mass vaccination drives, and full coordination with private-sector veterinarians and dedicated Hotlines, to name a few. This is the standard every province must meet.
As an institution, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and specifically the DA in the NCOP, will continue to exercise strict oversight to ensure provinces fulfil their constitutional obligations. This outbreak can only be defeated through coordinated national, provincial, and local action. The Minister has done his part, now the provinces must pull up their socks.