Foot-and-mouth disease wreaks havoc in South Africa's rural heartlands.
Image: Supplied.
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.
In response to a Democratic Alliance (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?
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’.
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.
To effectively address the FMD outbreak, the DA in Gauteng would implement a tracking and tracing system for animals, establish a central command structure, publish data on enforcement and movement control, and provide municipalities with clear, measurable directives for their response.
Bronwynn Engelbrecht MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Agriculture