By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Caption: Gauteng MEC for agriculture and rural development, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, delivering the keynote address at the Soul to Soil brunch.
Gauteng has unveiled a comprehensive provincial response to the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak that has affected over 261,000 animals.
The crisis has been traced back to the unlawful transport of cattle from KwaZulu-Natal in April 2025.
Foot and mouth disease is caused by a virus that spreads easily between animals through direct contact, contaminated equipment, clothing, vehicles and short distance airborne transmission. Infected livestock typically develop fever, painful blisters in the mouth and on the feet, lameness, and loss of appetite, conditions that drastically reduce productivity.
Although FMD is rarely fatal, its rapid transmission often requires strict measures such as quarantine, movement restrictions, and humane destruction of infected animals to stem outbreaks.
Briefing the media on Tuesday, MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, alongside premier Panyaza Lesufi said Gauteng’s response is guided by infection rates, with communal, rural and peri-urban farming areas prioritised to protect uninfected livestock and limit further spread.
She said the highest infection rates have been recorded along the East Rand and in parts of Randfontein, with early signs of spread now emerging in other areas.
Multiple provincial departments have been mobilised to support containment efforts, including including roadblocks, checkpoints and route controls in identified high-risk zones.
More than 286,000 vaccine doses have already been administered across Gauteng. However, the Department of Agriculture has warned that unregulated livestock movement remains one of the biggest threats to containment.
Officials say communal grazing areas and informal livestock trading continue to pose serious challenges, particularly where animals are moved without vaccination or clearance.
Farmers and traders have been urged not to suspend operations, but to ensure livestock are vaccinated, quarantined where required, and transported strictly in line with regulations.
All farms that have tested positive remain under strict quarantine, while investigations into new suspected cases are ongoing.
Ramokgopa has rejected claims that funding is being diverted away from farmers, insisting that veterinary services and disease control remain central to protecting livelihoods and preventing a wider agricultural crisis.
To strengthen cooperation and counter misinformation, the province is ramping up direct engagement with farming communities. This includes establishing a multi-stakeholder consultative forum involving traditional leaders, livestock owners, auctioneers and industry bodies.
Addressing concerns over earlier delays, Ramokgopa said Gauteng only received clarity on the national Foot-and-Mouth Disease strategy just over a week ago, making alignment essential before rolling out provincial interventions.
She said the province has since finalised its response plan, now approved by the provincial executive, allowing containment measures to be accelerated.
Lesufi warned that the outbreak poses significant risks to the economy, with potential disruptions to trade and job losses in the livestock sector.
“Because if it harms the economy of our province, we will see the escalation of food prices, especially beef and other related prices that may make food security a difficult aspect in our province. The foot and mouth outbreak, which has been unfolding over several months, has reached the level of a nationwide animal health crisis,” said Lesufi.
The outbreak has inflicted substantial economic costs, particularly through trade restrictions. Because of FMD’s presence beyond historically controlled zones, several key export markets, including China, Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Namibia, have fully or partially closed imports of cloven hoofed animal products.
This has contributed to estimated export revenue losses of about R5.6 billion, based on 2024 statistics.
Domestic producers are also facing rising costs for veterinary care and enhanced biosecurity, and continued movement restrictions may contribute to price volatility that affects the broader food supply chain.
The national government, led by the Department of Agriculture, has established multi stakeholder strategies to contain and reduce FMD. These include expanded vaccination programs, with vaccines procured and distributed to affected regions, intensified surveillance, enforced biosecurity, and strict quarantine regulations for infected properties.