South Africa’s ongoing struggle to contain foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) highlights a deeper governance problem: the state insists on tight control but lacks the capacity to execute effectively, while sidelining the very people best placed to help.
Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University, argues that farmers are the first line of detection and response, yet they are being treated as spectators rather than key partners. This top-down approach slows reaction times and weakens enforcement on the ground. He warns that excluding farmers, who possess practical knowledge and experience, is misguided and puts both livestock and rural livelihoods at risk.
Prof. Tyobeka points to Argentina’s successful shift to a hybrid model combining state oversight with strong farmer participation after major outbreaks in the early 2000s. He welcomes Minister John Steenhuisen’s recent memorandum with Brazil, which achieved FMD-free status in 2025, but stresses that real success will depend on practical implementation and genuine cooperation.
The current system of delays in vaccine distribution, movement controls and bureaucracy is exposing structural weaknesses. According to Tyobeka, the crisis is no longer only an agricultural issue — it is becoming a test of whether South Africa’s governance model can shift from rigid state control to trust, speed and shared responsibility with those on the ground.
It is ironic and tragic that Minister John Steenhuisen is seeking help from Brazil on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), while South Africa has some of the world’s leading experts in this field. This is the view of Francois Wilken, president of Free State Agriculture (Vrystaat Landbou).Steenhuisen signed a memorandum of cooperation and an action plan with his Brazilian counterpart, André de Paula, on Thursday to combat FMD, among other things.
Wilken finds it strange that the minister is not making better use of local expertise.Dr Theo de Jager of Saai acknowledges that Brazil was successful in eradicating FMD (it achieved FMD-free status without vaccination in May 2025), but stresses that local farmers and private role-players must be more involved. He wants farmers to be allowed to buy and administer vaccines themselves, instead of everything being controlled by the state.Dr Gideon Brückner, a highly respected South African veterinarian and former senior official at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), who personally assisted Brazil with its FMD programme. Interestingly, Dr Gideon Brückner himself has publicly supported the government’s position on maintaining strong state control over vaccine procurement and distribution. He emphasises that South Africa must follow strict World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) rules to regain FMD-free status, and he agrees with centralised control in this regard.
Brückner offered his assistance to Minister Steenhuisen, but was never approached.The government must publish a national vaccination plan by 5 May following a court order. The core debate centres on the extent of private sector involvement in the procurement and administration of the vaccine.
John Steenhuisen’s move to Brazil appears driven by pragmatism — seeking fresh, proven strategies from a recent success story — rather than outright distrust of local experts. However, the strong emphasis on state control and limited private involvement has created the impression among many farmers that local knowledge and on-the-ground experience are being sidelined.The core disagreement is less about technical expertise and more about who controls the response (state vs farmers/private sector). This is playing out against a background of court cases and urgent pressure to contain the outbreak.
Achieving herd immunity requires a high percentage of the population—often between 70% and 95% depending on the disease—to be immune so the virus has nowhere to spread. If vaccination is too slow, the virus has time to mutate into new variants that can "dodge" existing immunity, potentially restarting the cycle.
In the case of animals, particularly livestock, herd immunity is vital for protecting entire farms from being wiped out by a single outbreak. Success depends on not just the vaccine itself, but also proper storage (keeping them cold) and correct timing to ensure the animal's immune system is ready to respond.
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