The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is cautiously optimistic that the Minister of Agriculture, Mr John Steenhuisen, will tomorrow announce a coherent Section 10 plan for vaccinating against foot-and-mouth disease, as ordered by the court.
In fact, it is unthinkable that this course of action had to be taken.
Private veterinarians in South Africa possess a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to infectious diseases. They should have been the Minister’s first port of call in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture’s state veterinarians. Unfortunately, he turned down the hand extended by private veterinary networks.
It is ironic that Steenhuisen repeatedly claims he inherited a problematic Department and cannot solve thirty years of problems in two years.
Instead of verifying the recommendations from that Department with experts in the private sector, he adopted a defiant attitude over the past few months by attempting to draw out the legal process. Consequently, on 28 April 2026, the court instructed him to announce the vaccination plan by tomorrow in addition to issuing a punitive cost order.
In the meantime, Steenhuisen revealed that he had consulted Brazilian experts on the disease. It is quite alright to learn from other countries that have already successfully combated the disease, but why is he not willing to learn from experts in his own country? They are, after all, much more familiar with local conditions and many had contributed to ensuring that South Africa enjoyed foot-and-mouth disease-free status for decades.
The general impression this creates is that the current Minister prefers problems he can fix with words alone. That is why he likes to visit overseas markets to negotiate access for South African products. This is undoubtedly positive, provided production in South Africa meets international requirements.
A disease such as foot-and-mouth disease cannot be talked away. It requires focused, expert recommendations that are effectively implemented.
This disease already posed a problem when Steenhuisen took office as Minister. If he had taken the right steps at the outset, he could have been the hero of agriculture today, instead of being disdained by many role players.
