Note to editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Bronwynn Engelbrecht MPL.
Inconsistent messaging from the Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa regarding the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine shortage continues to create confusion among farmers in the province. The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the MEC to get her act together and implement a coordinated approach to managing FMD outbreak.
In response to a DA question in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), the MEC conceded that the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is ill-equipped to combat the FMD outbreak, which has impacted the livelihoods of hundreds of farmers. She also admitted that Gauteng lacks a track-and-trace system for animals, has no physical command centre, and relies on internal reports and a biweekly Joint Operations Committee to manage operations.
At the same time, the MEC insists in her response that the province is ‘coordinated’ in tackling the outbreak. But how can the department effectively manage such a fast-moving disease outbreak without a tracking and tracing system, a central command structure, daily situational reporting, and publicly accessible operational data?
While the MEC claims that there is ‘visible enforcement’, the department confirms that roadblocks occur only sporadically and monthly, operations are reactive, and there is no daily or weekly enforcement data. This is concerning, as illegal livestock movement has been identified as the source of the outbreak.
Moreover, although she asserts that municipalities are ‘empowered’ through bylaws, there is no visible enforcement across Gauteng and no consistent control of roaming livestock. If mayors are empowered, why are they missing in action?
Behind these contradictory statements is the worrying reality that, of the 393,140 vaccines received, only 184,036 were used to vaccinate animals. This leaves 209,104 doses unaccounted for in national data. Instead of providing clarity, the MEC has dismissed the figures as ‘hearsay’ and argued that provincial data is ‘more recent’.
See attached FMD presentation to the Agriculture Portfolio Committee.
The DA stands in solidarity with farmers and will table questions to establish the whereabouts of these doses: were they delivered, were they administered, or are they sitting unused while the virus spreads? If so, why have they not been administered?
The MEC should stop sending mixed messages and provide clarity, coordination, and control in dealing with the disease. Until then, Gauteng’s FMD response will remain a communication exercise rather than a containment strategy.
Where the DA governs, we have moved swiftly to implement a tracking and tracing system for animals, establish a central command structure, publish enforcement and movement-control data, and equip municipalities with clear, measurable directives to respond to the FMD outbreak. This is the positive change we would bring to Gauteng for the benefit of all farmers.