The Department of Agriculture has confirmed that the Director of Animal Health, Dr Mpho Maja, is on leave in the midst of South Africa’s worst foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) crisis.
By Alani Janeke, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
Dr Maja occupies a critical and very senior position in the Department. Despite the largest outbreak of FMD yet recorded in the country, she is not currently in her post. The Department’s Director of Animal Health is responsible for promoting, preventing and controlling animal diseases, formulating national policy, managing animal health risks for import and export, and providing epidemiological services under legislation such as the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act No. 35 of 1984) to protect the country’s animal population and coordinate response with provincial authorities.
The director’s core duties include setting standards for trade in animals, implementing disease-control measures and ensuring food safety of products of animal origin. Dr Maja was appointed to this position 19 years ago after Dr Gideon Brückner left the department.
Responding to rumours that Dr Maja is on “stress-related” sick leave, the department said its human resources policy forbids disclosing the nature of leave to the media. Confidential sources told African Farming that Maja has been under increasing pressure within the Department of Agriculture since last year over the FMD outbreaks in the country.
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Industry Struggles to Reach Key Official
Industry representatives told African Farming they have struggled to contact her, especially since the beginning of this year. “Sometimes you will call to talk to her, but you can’t get a hold of her. And then when you get to the department, she’s just there.
“We urgently need strong leadership now to get the chaotic management process back on track. The industry is in crisis and it would help if officials with drive now stepped forward to prevent the industry from collapsing.”
Questions Over Signing Rights and Authority
Journalist Masa Kekana reported on rumours in a recent broadcast of Carte Blanche that Maja’s signing rights had been taken away. The department confirmed to African Farming’s inquiries that Dr Maja is still the Director of Animal Health, although it did not directly answer the question about her signing rights.
Joylene van Wyk, the department’s Director of Media Relations, confirmed on Thursday, 12 February 2026, that Maja is on leave and that Dr Nadia de Beer has been appointed as acting Director of Animal Health from 9 February 2026. Dr De Beer is the Deputy Director of the department’s Import and Export Policy Unit. It is not clear how long she will act in this position.
Currently, South Africa’s response to FMD remains a national priority, with outbreaks confirmed across multiple provinces and ongoing efforts to control and eradicate the disease under the government’s biosecurity strategies.
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