By Thapelo Molefe
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen will ask cabinet to declare South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak a state of disaster, which he said would unlock additional powers, including law enforcement support, to curb animal movement and contain the spread.
KwaZulu-Natal remains the epicentre of the crisis and will be prioritised under a decade-long containment and eradication strategy.
Addressing a media briefing on Wednesday, Steenhuisen said KZN, alongside Gauteng, the Free State and North West, had borne the brunt of recurrent outbreaks since South Africa lost its FMD-free status in January 2019.
The current wave of infections began in 2021 following the movement of animals from Phalaborwa to KZN, and has severely disrupted livestock production, trade and farmer livelihoods.
“The biggest challenge of KwaZulu-Natal is that the disease has become endemic in the province,” Steenhuisen said, adding that mass vaccination across affected districts would begin immediately, with repeat campaigns scheduled within three months.
Under the new strategy, KZN will see province-wide vaccination, with 100% coverage targeted in feedlots and dairy herds, 90% in commercial cattle and at least 80% in communal herds.
Authorities aim to reduce outbreak incidence by more than 70% in high-risk provinces within 12 months.
Chief Director for Biosecurity Coordination, Dr Emily Mogajane, said KwaZulu-Natal’s dense livestock population, frequent animal movement and proximity to wildlife reservoirs, particularly buffalo, had fuelled persistent transmission.
“Buffalo are silent carriers of the virus and do not show clinical signs, which makes surveillance and vaccination around these areas critical,” she said.
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While KwaZulu-Natal remains the focal point, the strategy adopts a national risk-based approach.
Mpumalanga and Limpopo, where buffalo farming is prevalent, will be subjected to biannual vaccination campaigns in hotspot districts such as Nkomazi and Bushbuckridge, coupled with joint wildlife surveillance near game reserves.
The Free State and North West have been classified as high-risk provinces, with some districts now approaching epicentre status due to repeated outbreaks. Gauteng, a major livestock trading hub, is also prioritised because of high animal movement linked to feedlots and auctions.
Elsewhere, the Eastern Cape is regarded as a moderate-to-high risk area following SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3 (different FMD strains) outbreaks that were successfully contained. Biannual vaccination in hotspots and the establishment of protection zones are planned to prevent reintroduction of the virus.
The Western Cape recorded only one outbreak in the current wave, traced to animal movement from another province, while the Northern Cape remains the only province never to have reported an FMD case.
Nationally, nearly two million animals have already been vaccinated since the latest outbreaks. Government plans to secure millions more doses through international suppliers and local production, while strengthening laboratory capacity, movement controls and digital livestock traceability systems.
Steenhuisen stressed that vaccination alone would not solve the crisis.
“This is a long-term commitment that relies on reporting outbreaks, enforcing movement controls and cooperation from farmers across all provinces,” he said.
The ultimate goal, he said, was to restore South Africa’s FMD-free status, reopening access to key export markets and stabilising the livestock sector after years of disruption.
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