Category: South Africa Government

Source: Government of South Africa

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Source: Government of South Africa

While the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government has made significant progress in containing the spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in affected areas, non-compliance by some commercial farmers continues to undermine control efforts.

Speaking to SAnews on the sidelines of the national Foot and Mouth Disease Indaba, currently underway at the ARC-VIMP Campus in Roodeplaat, northeast of Pretoria, KwaZulu-Natal Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Director for Veterinary Services, Dr Themba Sikhakhane, said the province is on course in managing the outbreak.

“We have made great strides, especially in communal areas like Newcastle in the Amajuba District, where the initial outbreak occurred. There, we have vaccinated over 600 000 animals,” said Sikhakhane.

However, Sikhakhane expressed concern over the conduct of some commercial farmers, who hide their animals after seeing symptoms of FMD, and move them.

“When they [commercial farmers] see clear symptoms of FMD, they hide the animals, which is impossible to do because your neighbour and everyone will see it. We strongly believe that this is the reason we find feedlot that have animals coming up late on their management with the symptoms,” Sikhakhane told SAnews.

He added that effective containment will require active cooperation from the beef industry and farmer organisations, particularly in addressing these practices.

Hotspots and disease transmission

Sikhakhane said the Amajuba and uMzinyathi Districts remain the most affected by the outbreak, with recent cases also detected in one or two dairy operations.

He said investigations are underway to determine how the disease reached these facilities.

“We know FMD is spread by people [and] in communal areas, it is often due to lack of fencing and free movement of unvaccinated livestock. We know the permanent FMD sources around Hluhluwe Game Reserve and other smaller reserves, where animals test positive,” Sikhakhane said.

The department is expanding its containment measures, including the deployment of dip tank dip facilities.

Sikhakhane confirmed that 14 dip tanks will be completed this week in the King Cetshwayo District, with work beginning next week in Mtubatuba and Nongoma municipalities, where 76 additional dip tanks are planned.

“It is in control, only if we can get assistance from red meat producers to contain the spread with the commercial farmers. Our farmers in communal setup are cooperating, we just need these few commercial farmers to work with government and stop this problem,” Sikhakhane said.

Held under the theme: “Building a Resilient System to Fight FMD,” the FMD Indaba comes at a time when South Africa is grappling with widespread outbreaks across several provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and most recently, the Free State.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, alongside Deputy Minister Nokuzola Capa, is leading the national effort in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC).

The Indaba has drawn participation from provincial leaders, including Free State MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs Elizabeth Cornelia Rockman, KZN Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa, and Limpopo Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Nakedi Sibanda-Kekana.

Maintaining FMD-free zones 

In his opening address, Steenhuisen emphasised the need to confront the infrastructure deficit in the country’s protection zones.
He underscored the urgent need to address infrastructure gaps within the country’s FMD protection zones.

“As long as animals are forced to be moved illegally because of the absence of local abattoirs or feedlots, we will never be able to enforce movement control effectively,” the Minister said.

He stressed that the issue extends beyond veterinary science,

“This is not just a veterinary issue; it is a spatial planning and rural development issue. That is why we will be earmarking funds in this fiscal year to support the establishment of feedlots and abattoirs within the protection zones, particularly in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga.

“These facilities will provide alternatives to illicit trade. They will create rural jobs. Furthermore, they will help us enforce the very measures we need to maintain our FMD-free zones,” the Minister said – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Source: Government of South Africa

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Source: Government of South Africa

Monday, July 21, 2025

Source: Government of South Africa

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, has called for urgent and proper regionalisation of South Africa’s disease control framework, amid ongoing challenges posed by widespread Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks.

“Every credible trading nation in the world understands the principle of regionalisation, that an outbreak in one part of a country should not result in blanket trade restrictions for the entire nation,” Steenhuisen said.

The Minister made the call during the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Indaba, currently underway at the ARC-VIMP Campus in Roodeplaat, northeast of Pretoria.

The Minister’s call comes as the country is currently experiencing significant and ongoing challenges with widespread outbreaks of Foot and Mouth disease, affecting several provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and, most recently, the Free State.

The resurgence of the disease has resulted in livestock movement restrictions and has also significantly impacted the country’s red meat trade on international markets.

In response to this escalating crisis, the Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), the University of Pretoria, and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), is hosting a national Foot and Mouth Disease Indaba.

The two-day event, starting Monday, 21 July 2025, aims to bring together top veterinary scientists, agricultural experts, and key industry stakeholders, to deliberate on and develop long-term solutions to combat FMD.

In his opening address, Steenhuisen said South Africa is falling behind in establishing, certifying, and maintaining internationally recognised disease control zones.

He said the failure to regionalise is not due to a lack of veterinary science, but institutional coordination, legal clarity, and capacity.

“It is unacceptable that South Africa takes years to respond to import health questionnaires, delays that have cost us market access and weakened our negotiating position. This is not a regulatory issue; it is a capacity issue, and we are taking steps to fix it,” the Minister said.

To address this, the Minister announced the appointment of two senior veterinarians, Dr Emily Mogajane and Dr Nomsa Mnisi, to lead the development of a comprehensive national regionalisation framework.

Mnisi and Mogajane bring extensive experience in veterinary science, government, and international trade.

Their work will focus on:
•    Defining and operationalising regional disease zones for all major livestock sectors, in consultation with industry;
•    Supporting provinces to assume their responsibilities as prescribed in the Animal Health Act, 2002 (Act No.7 of 2002), aligning disease control with our Constitutional division of powers; and
•    Strengthening interdepartmental capacity to process export and import applications swiftly and credibly.

Public-private partnerships to improve vaccine security

Steenhuisen also called for stronger public-private partnerships to improve vaccine security, particularly for controlled animal diseases.

He urged the livestock industry, especially red meat, dairy, and game sectors to co-finance vaccine procurement.

“This does not mean you will manage the vaccines or the cold chains. But it does mean that, like in other agro-industries, we establish structured partnerships that ensure we are not caught unprepared again,” Steenhuisen said.

The Minister pointed to a recent breakdown in vaccine availability during the FMD outbreak, and that the national vaccine bank was depleted and the production cycle was misaligned with outbreak realities.

“Most notably, Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) currently lacks the infrastructure to produce FMD vaccines at the scale and speed required to respond to outbreaks.

“As a result, we were compelled to import vaccines from Botswana, to mount even a partial response. This situation is unsustainable for a country with South Africa’s livestock footprint and export ambitions,” the Minister said.

In response to this, Steenhuisen said government is establishing OBP, but warned that this will take time.

In the interim, he said efforts are underway to secure vaccine imports and establish forward-looking supply contracts to ensure minimum stock levels of FMD and other priority vaccines, “before the next outbreak, not after.”

He however warned that the State cannot do this alone and urged the industry to invest.

“If you want predictability, you must also invest. The time has come to build a nationally managed but jointly funded vaccine bank, not only for FMD, but for lumpy skin disease, brucellosis, Rift Valley Fever, and all other controlled diseases affecting trade and production,” SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni has declared this a “historic week” for entrepreneurs and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

She was addressing the Startup20 Midterm Engagement Group Meeting held in Gauteng on Monday.

The meeting kicks off a busy week, with Global Trade Promotion Organisations holding a parallel meeting hosted by the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), together with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.

“They will consider how the global trade system is being reconfigured, and how MSMEs can build resilience and pivot towards new markets,” Ndabeni said.

Later this week, the department will host the Global SME ministerial meeting with the International Trade Centre.

“This meeting will see Ministers, Deputy Ministers and officials from more than 60 countries, as well as various multilateral organisations, converge to discuss entrepreneurship and MSME policy, and look at ways to scale global support for MSMEs, especially in underserved countries,” Ndabeni explained.

The Global SME ministerial meeting will take aim at:

• How to bridge the digital divide to empower MSMEs and startups with the infrastructure, skills, and tools needed to compete globally;
• How to unlock capital access, especially for women- and youth-led businesses, through inclusive financial ecosystems;
• How to position MSMEs as key actors in the green economy, supporting sustainable practices and circular innovation, and
• How to foster inclusive trade policies that ensure MSMEs have a seat at the global economic table.

“The outcome will be a Call to Action, endorsed by the 60 plus countries, which will contain practical policy measures and reforms that will be championed in the UN system and which we can integrate with our G20 MSME agenda.

“Building on the work started in Brazil, as South Africa we want a dedicated G20 MSME and Startup Working Group, and this week’s deliberations will greatly assist us craft clear terms of reference and agenda for this working group,” Ndabeni said.

The ministerial meeting will also allow opportunities for inputs from the Startup20 Midterm engagement.

“Some of you… will be given space to share your thinking with the delegates at the ministerial meeting.

“Together, we will build a more equal and sustainable future led by MSMEs and startups,” Ndabeni said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni has unveiled South Africa’s priorities for the Startup20 Engagement Group – an official engagement group under the country’s G20 presidency.

The Minister was delivering remarks at the midterm meeting held at Birchwood in Boksburg on Monday.

Startup20 serves as a platform for startups and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to engage with G20 leaders on the challenges and opportunities they face.

The five priorities are: 

• Foundation and alliance – with the focus on enabling policies, and ways to build a more supportive and resourced eco-system for early-stage entrepreneurs and scale-ups.
• Finance and investment – with the focus on addressing gaps in early-stage financing, cross-border financing, and ways to derisk investment, for underserved regions and groups like women and youth, including through pre-investment capital readiness support.
• Inclusion and sustainability – with the focus on circular economy models, green innovation incentives, and pre-investment business support for youth and women led enterprises to improve capital readiness.
• Market access – with the focus on facilitating international trade, enabling e-commerce, reforming public procurement systems and supporting regional integration
• Township and rural entrepreneurship – with the focus on strengthening local value chains, improving infrastructure and connectivity, and improving access to finance and eco-system support for supporting co-operatives and micro enterprises.

“Task teams made up of South African and international representatives have been established in these five priority areas.

“This Midterm Engagement Group Session provides the opportunity for these task forces together with others in the broader eco-system to develop policy recommendations that culminate in a clear programme of action to be finalised in the Startup20 Summit on the 13th and 14th of November.

“This summit in November will also include the inaugural Startup20 Awards, where the best startups and eco-system enablers from the G20 countries will be recognised. We will also, as DSBD, integrate our Presidential MSME Awards where we recognise and reward our best local talent,” Ndabeni said.

She emphasised that South Africa would utilise its G20 presidency to champion “issues of the Global South and Africa in particular, including issues of public debt, food security, market access, and the availability and cost of capital”.    

“With the African Union’s induction as a permanent G20 member in 2023, Africa’s voice is now more prominent in global policymaking. South Africa plays a dual role: both as a sovereign G20 member and as a strategic member of the AU. As such we are well positioned to support the continent’s startup and MSME agenda.

“This alignment allows for greater policy coherence, enabling South Africa to serve as a bridge between global discourse and regional development aspirations, particularly in areas such as startup financing, regulatory reform, and digital transformation,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za