Gauteng farmers face mounting losses amid leadership vacuum
The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng has issued a sharp rebuke to Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Agriculture MEC Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, demanding they urgently empower provincial mayors to establish command structures capable of tackling the escalating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) crisis. The call comes as cattle losses mount across the province, with the unchecked spread of the disease now posing a direct threat to food security in the region.
Bronwynn Engelbrecht, the DA's spokesperson for agriculture and rural development in Gauteng, warned that farmers are bearing the brunt of a disorganised provincial response. She insisted the government must actively support roadblocks and regulate animal movement, ensure that municipal land is properly monitored, maintain direct communication with farming communities, and participate in a unified provincial response plan.
"While farmers are losing more and more livestock and face uncertainty and increasing pressure, those who are entrusted with local management are not sufficiently empowered and involved in combating FMD, which is deeply worrying."
Engelbrecht drew a pointed comparison with the Western Cape, where district mayors have assumed a central and decisive role in fighting the disease. She noted that the province has implemented clear strategies to monitor and regulate livestock movement, with mayors collaborating with law enforcement to enforce biosecurity measures and participating in joint operational command structures, including a dedicated war room established by the Western Cape government.
Through the premier's coordination forum in the Western Cape, leaders are able to provide continuous feedback across all spheres of government while liaising directly with farmers and communities to bolster awareness, she added.
Municipalities must act on their legal obligations
Engelbrecht expressed alarm that communal and peri-urban grazing areas account for a significant portion of outbreaks, placing a direct duty on municipalities to intervene without delay. She pointed to the Animal Diseases Act, which imposes a clear obligation on local authorities to prevent the spread of controlled diseases, particularly on municipal and common land.
"Without the active involvement of municipalities, Gauteng's response remains reactive and ineffective. It undermines enforcement, weakens communication and allows the disease to spread further unhindered."
The DA spokesperson catalogued what she described as glaring failures in Gauteng's local government response — no coordination of livestock movement controls, no visible municipal enforcement of biosecurity protocols, no structured participation in a joint command centre, and no consistent communication with affected farmers. She attributed these shortcomings directly to the premier's failure to provide direction and leadership, leaving mayors unable to exercise proper oversight or take visible responsibility for protecting local agricultural systems.
"Gauteng must learn from the Western Cape to end this crisis. At a time when farmers are fighting to protect their livelihoods, and consumers are facing increasing food insecurity, the cooperation between all spheres of government is not optional, but essential."
Engelbrecht maintained that the Western Cape has already proven that a coordinated, multi-level government approach is the only viable path to containing FMD. She urged Gauteng's leadership to abandon its fragmented response and adopt a similarly unified strategy before more livelihoods are destroyed and food security deteriorates further.
The spread of foot-and-mouth disease across Gauteng threatens not only the livelihoods of farmers already suffering significant cattle losses but also the broader food supply chain serving millions of residents in South Africa's most populous province. Small-scale and communal farmers are particularly vulnerable, facing potential financial ruin without adequate government coordination. How quickly provincial and municipal authorities establish unified biosecurity measures will likely determine whether the outbreak is contained or deepens into a prolonged agricultural and food security crisis.
