The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng welcomes the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen’s swift action of sourcing Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines from Botswana, following the recent outbreak reported at one of South Africa’s largest beef producers in Gauteng.
This swift action is necessary, but it comes far too late and at a devastating cost. The fact that South Africa must now rely on neighbouring countries for vaccines that we once produced domestically in abundance, is a travesty. It is a painful reminder of how the previous ANC led government systematically destroyed the critical state-owned entity, Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP).
OBP was once the pride of our continent, a state-owned enterprise capable of producing world-class veterinary vaccines to safeguard both our agricultural economy and our nation’s food security. Today, its once-sterile laboratories stand silent. Production has stalled. Farmers are left vulnerable. South African livestock, the backbone of our rural economy, is now at the mercy of foreign supply chains.
The import of vaccines, while necessary, should never have been the solution. It is a desperate band-aid over a wound inflicted by the current government’s incompetence. The failure to maintain OBP’s infrastructure, ensure staff capacity, and procure vital inputs has directly contributed to the vaccine shortages we now face.
This outbreak did not happen in a vacuum. It is the result of years of neglect and political interference which has led to people of South Africa bearing the consequences.
Under a DA-led Gauteng provincial government, we would engage with the national government to ensure OBP is transformed back into the continental biotech leader it once was. We would restore operational capacity, ensure strategic investment, and safeguard biosecurity through reliable domestic vaccine production. The health of our animals, the livelihoods of our farmers, and the plates of our families depend on it.