Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has confirmed that the department has spent R72-million for the current financial year to procure 900 000 doses of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines from the Botswana Vaccine Institute.
Steenhuisen said the first batch of 500 000 doses arrived in June and has already been administered in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, North West, and Free State.
The second delivery of 400 000 doses landed last week, with 50 000 doses already distributed to outbreak areas. These include Free State, Mpumalanga, North West, and Gauteng.
Currently, South Africa is grappling with 274 unresolved foot-and-mouth outbreaks across five provinces, with KwaZulu-Natal suffering the most.
Cattle production disrupted
The disease has disrupted cattle production and continues to threaten the country’s multibillion-rand red meat and dairy sectors.
“In KwaZulu-Natal, the outbreaks have continued to spread westward, with confirmed cases in Dundee, Dannhauser, Newcastle, Alfred Duma, Okhahlamba, uMshwathi, eDumbe, and eMadlangeni local municipalities.
“Fortunately, the disease appears to have decreased in severity in the eastern part of the DMA; however, 180 outbreaks remain active in that province.
“The virus spread from KwaZulu-Natal into Mpumalanga through an auction in February 2025,” said Steenhuisen.
By May, it had spread to other provinces. As it stands, he said, Gauteng has 54 outbreaks, North West stands at 26, Mpumalanga at nine, and there are five cases in Free State.
He reported that over 400 stakeholders convened at a Bosberaad to discuss long-term control options for foot-and-mouth disease.
He said the government is also planning to boost local vaccine-manufacturing capacity.
Steenhuisen said the new mid-scale facility, expected to produce 150 000 to 200 000 doses a year, is on track for commissioning in March 2026.
Infrastructure investment
“The Bosberaad recommended a phased, multidisciplinary approach, combining stronger, existing controls with the PCP framework.
“This will be underpinned by legal reform, domestic vaccine production, improved diagnostics, livestock identification systems, and collaborative governance.
“Immediate actions include scaling up vaccine production, accelerating livestock identification, expanding diagnostic capacity, and intensifying awareness campaigns.
“Medium- to long-term priorities include infrastructure investment, regional cooperation, and sustained funding for veterinary services and research.”
He said there are still important gaps in research, especially concerning the role of buffaloes as carriers of the virus and the behaviour of southern African territorial strains.
Steenhuisen added that further investigation is needed to determine whether vaccinating buffaloes is a practical option.
“I must stress that compliance with legislation and biosecurity protocols is not optional. It is deeply concerning and irresponsible that farmers are moving cattle showing clinical signs of the disease or treating them privately without reporting.
“These actions contravene legal directives and risk entrenching foot-and-mouth disease as endemic in South Africa,” said Steenhuisen.
