Moments of crisis test the capacity of any government. The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) during the peak of the festive season last December was one such moment for the Eastern Cape, and it is a challenge we are meeting with determination and resolve.
On December 23 2025, senior officials in my department urgently convened an emergency meeting to brief me about a confirmed case in Keiskammahoek and the rapid spread of cattle showing clinical signs.
It quickly became clear that FMD, which had been successfully contained in 2024/25, had returned. Like many officials, I had to cut my holidays short. I remember that on Christmas Day morning, I had to leave my family to brief the media and inform the public about what was unfolding.
There is no known cure for the virus, and the spread was likely accelerated by increased livestock movement during the festive season. This has placed severe pressure on farming communities, especially in high-density livestock areas.
From the beginning, the department responded by intensifying awareness campaigns, strengthening containment measures and deploying veterinary teams and animal health officials to support farmers, investigate cases and roll out vaccination on the ground.
The outbreak poses a serious threat to livestock, farmers’ livelihoods and the wider rural economy. It affects animal health, trade, production and household income, which is why every step we take now matters.
This is why the current outbreak must be met with seriousness, discipline and confidence in our ability to overcome it.
In mid-February, the Eastern Cape provincial government strengthened the response by committing R55m to contain the spread of FMD. This intervention enabled the province to place the necessary orders and meet vaccine procurement requirements, including access to manufacturers in Türkiye and Argentina.
It added real weight to the provincial response and strengthened the department’s ability to intensify vaccination, outbreak control and on-the-ground veterinary support.
To date, the Eastern Cape has received 304,600 vaccine doses. This includes 2,600 doses from the Agricultural Research Council; 150,000 doses sourced from Argentina and 152,000 doses of the Dolvet vaccine from Türkiye.
The first batch of 150,000 doses has already been fully utilised in line with a risk-based vaccination strategy, giving further momentum to the province’s response. Beyond this, the province has placed orders amounting to approximately 1.05 million doses, which will further strengthen protection as the vaccination campaign expands.
This approach has prioritised hotspot areas, border municipalities, dairy operations and herds near game reserves with free FMD buffalo populations, ensuring that available doses are directed where the risk is highest and the protective impact is greatest.
For the Eastern Cape, this is a difficult moment, but it is one we know how to confront.
We know from recent experience that FMD can be contained where there is discipline, strong veterinary support and cooperation across the sector. In 2024, a Disease Management Area was declared in parts of Kouga and Kou-Kamma after outbreaks that required decisive intervention.
By 30 August 2024, there had been no spread beyond those boundaries, with confirmed positive farms concentrated in the Humansdorp area and around a farm in the Buffalo City Metro.
In July 2025, those management area restrictions in the Eastern Cape were lifted after surveillance and control work found no evidence of an undetected virus in that area.
That history should not make us complacent. It should strengthen our determination.
The success of that response also demonstrated the province’s growing veterinary strength. In September 2025, the department deployed 15 veterinary officials to the Free State to strengthen capacity and share expertise.
The team, made up of Compulsory Community Service veterinarians, state veterinarians and animal health technicians, supported outbreak control efforts there. That is clear evidence that the Eastern Cape is building the kind of capacity that can serve both this province and the country when needed.
The current response is also being reinforced by strengthening veterinary capacity at home. The addition of eight state veterinarians, 25 animal health technicians and 30 community animal health workers will significantly strengthen vaccination and field operations. These are practical measures that will improve reach, speed and the overall effectiveness of the response.
We also wish to express our appreciation to most farmers across the Eastern Cape for the confidence they have shown in government and for the continued cooperation they extend to veterinary teams.
Farmers have continued to report cases, work with officials, comply with control measures, and support efforts to protect the sector. That spirit of cooperation is one of the province’s greatest strengths.
Our support to dairy farmers, as with all other categories of farmers, has been practical and deliberate.
Dairy operations are critical to production, employment, and the food supply, and that is why they are part of the priority vaccination programme.
At the same time, the department has also directed vaccines to beef herds in communal and commercial areas, as well as other livestock operations in need of support.
The guiding principle has remained clear: intervene where the risk is greatest and where the impact on livelihoods and production is most severe.
This is not a moment for panic or division. It is a moment for calm, cooperation and shared purpose. Disease control depends on movement control, biosecurity, farmer cooperation, accurate reporting and public trust. It depends on people understanding that the rules are there to protect the sector, not to punish it.
Our message to the people of the Eastern Cape is one of hope.
This outbreak is serious, but it is not beyond our ability to overcome. This province has shown before that it can rise to the challenge. With committed leadership, capable officials and the continued cooperation of farmers, we will meet this moment with confidence and resolve.
The Eastern Cape stands on the strength of its people, the dedication of its foot soldiers and the resilience of its farming communities. That is why this moment calls for unity, confidence and resolve.
• Nonceba Kontsiwe, MEC for agriculture in the Eastern Cape.
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