Our Viewpoint | FMD: a far-reaching threat

This week’s story from Mpophomeni shows that the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak is not only a veterinary or economic crisis — it is a human one. For Mxolisi Zuma, losing three cattle was more than a financial blow of about R30 000. It meant losing the means to pay lobola and move forward with marriage.

In Zulu culture, lobola is a respected cultural requirement that binds families and affirms identity. When he says, “Those cattle were my future and were going to earn me a wife and bring her family and mine together,” he is speaking about belonging, dignity and responsibility — not just livestock. His words, “That was my pride, my plans, my family’s hopes,” capture what this outbreak is taking from rural communities.

In communal grazing areas, animals mix freely and isolating the sick is extremely difficult. Families watch cattle — often their main store of wealth — fall ill, with limited practical support. Small rural farmers are carrying the heaviest burden, with little savings to absorb repeated losses.

[paywall]

But the impact extends beyond communal lands. Commercial farmers face movement controls, rising biosecurity costs and market uncertainty. The combined effect threatens food security, rural jobs and the wider agricultural economy.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s announcement of renewed local vaccine production through the Agricultural Research Council is an important step. Yet local output will take time to scale up. South Africa cannot rely on a single supply stream in the middle of an active outbreak.

Multi-source vaccine procurement is essential, alongside faster approvals and efficient distribution. This response also requires closer collaboration between government and the private sector. Veterinary networks, producer organisations and logistics providers all form part of the solution.

International best practice shows that rapid vaccination, clear communication, strict biosecurity and strong public-private co-ordination are critical to containing outbreaks. Without faster, better-co-ordinated action, the consequences for farmers, families and the national food supply will endure long after this season.

[/paywall]