By Thapelo Molefe
Gauteng has moved to tighten animal movement, deploy roadblocks and mobilise multiple government departments as the province battles what officials describe as the worst foot-and-mouth disease outbreak since South Africa lost its disease-free status in 2019.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the outbreak has reached the level of a national animal health crisis, warning that failure to contain it could drive up food prices, especially beef, and deepen food insecurity in the country’s economic hub.
“If it harms the economy of our province, you will see the escalation of food prices, especially beef, and other related prices that may make food security a difficult aspect in our province,” Lesufi said during a media briefing on Tuesday.
The outbreak, which has been unfolding for months, has hit Gauteng harder than any other province. According to the provincial government, 195 laboratory-confirmed outbreaks are currently being managed, with an estimated 261,000 animals affected.
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Lesufi said the Gauteng outbreak could be traced back to April 2025 in the West Rand, where investigations pointed to the illegal transport of cattle from an infected zone in KwaZulu-Natal during an auction.
“What we are dealing with now is not just a provincial problem. This has become a nationwide animal health crisis,” he said, adding that Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen is considering declaring a national state of disaster.
Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa said the province has adopted an accelerated, multi-stakeholder rapid response model to suppress the virus faster than the national strategy, which aims to regain disease-free status over a 10-year period.
“Gauteng is a national logistics hub, and that makes containment far more complex,” Ramokgopa said.
“Our goal is to quickly suppress the virus and move towards disease freedom while remaining compliant with national and international animal health standards.”
She said R16 million from the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme has been allocated for vaccine testing, cleaning supplies and additional mobile units, particularly in communal grazing areas and townships. To date, more than 286,000 vaccine doses have been administered, with a further 90,000 expected by the end of March.
“All affected farms are under strict quarantine, and new cases are investigated as soon as they are reported,” Ramokgopa said.
A special sitting of the Gauteng Executive Council over the weekend resolved to significantly intensify the response by bringing in departments responsible for community safety, transport, environment, cooperative governance, municipalities and the provincial security cluster.
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Ramokgopa said these departments will establish roadblocks, checkpoints and route controls in high-risk areas to clamp down on illegal livestock movement. Particular attention will be paid to routes near Dinokeng, where disease-free buffalo populations and biodiversity assets are at risk.
“Enforcement is key. We cannot do this alone as a department,” she said. “It cannot be business as usual.”
Both Lesufi and Ramokgopa stressed that the outbreak poses no risk to human health and that red meat remains safe for consumption.
“There is absolutely no risk to humans of contracting foot-and-mouth disease,” Ramokgopa said. “It is an animal health issue and should not be confused with hand, foot and mouth disease.”
Lesufi said the province was not interested in assigning blame but in stopping the spread of the virus.
“We are the hardest hit and we are the economic hub of the country,” he said.
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“If we cannot get prices right in Gauteng, we are not going to get prices right across the country. The sooner we contain this, the better.”
He added that the province would work closely with national government and industry stakeholders, warning that without cooperation, containment efforts would fail.
“We understand the inconvenience these interventions will cause,” Lesufi said.
“But we have no choice if we want to protect jobs, livelihoods and the economy.”
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