South Africa to receive 1 million Foot-and-Mouth vaccines in record import: Steenhuisen

South Africa will receive its largest single shipment of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines this weekend, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen announced, saying the one million doses from Biogenesis Bago will bring urgent relief to the hardest-hit provinces. Minister of AgricultureJohn Steenhuisenhas announced that South Africa will receive a shipment of 1 millionfoot-and-mouth disease(FMD) vaccines from Biogenesis Bago on Saturday. He said this would be the largest single import of vaccines to date and would bring much-needed relief to the provinces and regions hardest hit by the outbreak.

Steenhuisen made the announcement during a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday afternoon, where MPs debated President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recentState of the Nation Address(SONA). The debate continues on Wednesday at 2pm, with the president expected to reply on Thursday at 2pm. Steenhuisen, who is also leader of theDemocratic Alliance(DA) and the largest partner in the Government of National Unity (GNU), said Ramaphosa’s speech reflected a country that had begun to turn the corner after years of stagnation and crisis.

“Under the GNU, we have achieved real, tangible progress,” he said. He credited much of that progress to the DA’s participation in government, citing its focus on reform, fiscal discipline and pro-growth policies. Steenhuisen said the economy was growing again, with four consecutive quarters of positive GDP growth.

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Inflation was at its lowest level in 20 years, national debt had stabilised, interest rates were easing and borrowing costs were declining. He said South Africa was in a better position than it had been on the eve of the 2024 election, but warned against complacency. “At projected growth rates of around 1.5%, we fall far short of the 3% or more needed to lift millions out of poverty and create the jobs our people desperately need,” he said.

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