File: A cow on a farm. AFP/Charly Triballeau
JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Gauteng Agriculture MEC Vuyiswa Ramokgopa have outlined interventions to contain the ongoing livestock disease outbreak in the province.
Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday, Lesufi and Ramokgopa detailed the provincial government’s response and support measures for affected farmers.
Although infections have been confirmed in eight of the nine provinces, Gauteng remains the hardest hit.
The outbreak in the province is believed to have originated in April 2025 in the West Rand Municipality, with investigations indicating that the likely cause was the unlawful transportation of cattle from an infected zone in KwaZulu-Natal during an auction.
Earlier this month, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen announced that the national government had launched a nationwide livestock vaccination campaign.
Gauteng has an estimated 261,726 animals affected by the disease. Lesufi said preventative vaccination continues in defined high-risk zones.
“This crisis has serious consequences for the economy and society at large. It will disrupt trade and threaten jobs in the livestock sector and will undoubtedly affect the income of small-scale and community farmers,” Lesufi said.
Ramokgopa said the province had adopted a rapid-response approach to contain the outbreak.
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“The goal of the provincial government is to quickly suppress the virus and achieve disease-free status as soon as possible,” she said.
The province has allocated R16-million from the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme to fund vaccine testing, cleaning supplies and additional mobile units to curb the spread of the disease.
Ramokgopa said more than 286,000 vaccine doses have already been administered, with a further 90,000 doses on order.
“All affected and infected farms are under strict quarantine, and new cases are being investigated as they are reported,” she said.