The Democratic Alliance and KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial government are locked in a public dispute over the province’s response to the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
By Maile Matsimela, digital editor at African Farming
DA member of the provincial legislature Sakhile Mngadi released a media statement on 17 February condemning Premier Thami Ntuli for his “continued refusal to declare a provincial state of disaster” as the FMD crisis “spirals out of control” across KwaZulu-Natal.
Mngadi says while Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has acted decisively by “classifying a national state of disaster, it is deeply concerning that the worst-affected province remains trapped in hesitation and political calculation”.
He accuses the premier’s office of relying on “incomplete and questionable data that downplays the true scale of infections on the ground”, adding that the inaction amounted to “an insult to partners within KZN’s government of provincial unity”.
Mngadi lists several urgently needed interventions: immediate vaccine procurement and delivery; full public disclosure on vaccine quantities and dates; a strict ban on animal movement with proper monitoring; and the visible deployment of police, South African National Defence Force (SANDF) support units and veterinary technicians to enforce biosecurity protocols.
“Only a provincial state of disaster can legally unlock emergency procurement mechanisms, fast-track vaccine acquisition and ensure the full mobilisation of provincial resources,” he says. “Every day of delay compounds economic losses and threatens food security.”
Also read: FMD vaccinations: ‘KZN will be ready to roll immediately’ – public/private stakeholders
‘Unsubstantiated claims’
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development responded the following day with its own media statement dismissing Mngadi’s criticism as “attention-seeking utterances aimed at tarnishing her good reputation”, referring to MEC Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa.
The response centred on questions of legal authority, stating that Mngadi’s demands demonstrated a lack of “understanding of his institution’s inner workings and its legislative powers and functions”.
Also read: KZN deploying 45 teams to vaccinate 2.45 million cattle in massive FMD campaign
“Perhaps before issuing a statement laden with unsubstantiated claims, it would have been better for him to have conducted basic Google research, which would have informed him that neither the premier nor the MEC has the authority to declare a state of disaster,” the statement reads.
It cites Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act of 2002, which vests the power to classify disasters in the head of the National Disaster Management Centre, under the national Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA).”
According to the department, both Premier Ntuli and MEC Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa had already recommended that such a classification be made.
Department Claims Proactive Response
The statement outlines actions taken by the provincial government, including a media briefing at which Ntuli “explicitly stated that the province was already in a state of disaster”, calling for the fast-tracking of bureaucratic processes to enable classification and ensure that farmers received the necessary support, including vaccines.
It says Ntuli also played a key role in leading a cabinet resolution on FMD that saw all departments addressing the disease through District Development Model campaigns aimed at raising public awareness.
Despite inheriting the crisis when appointed in mid-2024 – “when the disease was already under way” – the current administration, led by Madlopha-Mthethwa, “took reasonable steps to intensify FMD awareness campaigns” through imbizos, public meetings and media interviews.
Mngadi “unfairly judges and undermines the efforts” of the provincial leadership while “simultaneously praising the national minister’s intention to declare a disaster”, the statement concludes, “despite neither the MEC nor her national counterpart having the authority to do so.”
Also read: FMD | The officials allegedly behind revoked vaccine deal
All parties agree that FMD has spread across all districts of KwaZulu-Natal, affecting dairy farms, feedlots, and communal and commercial farms, but remain fundamentally divided over whether the provincial response has been adequate.
Also read: FMD a national disaster, but vaccines must be centrally controlled – Ramaphosa
