‘Gauteng lets farmers down in BKS crisis’

Photo from the archive. (Photo: William West/AFP).

The Gauteng provincial government’s allocation of only R63 million to fight the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is, according to the DA, far too little to handle the crisis effectively.

Bronwynn Engelbrecht, the DA’s spokesperson for agriculture and rural development in Gauteng, says this amount is only a drop in the bucket of the province’s total budget of R179 billion.

“While the department of agriculture and rural development in Gauteng received R742 million for the 2026-’27 financial year, only a small fraction of that is earmarked for BKS.

“The limited funding and the absence of a clear operational plan raise doubts as to whether Prime Minister Panyaza Lesufi’s government really understands how serious the crisis is and what threat it poses to jobs, food security and Gauteng’s agricultural economy.”

Farmers are currently forced to work under strict movement restrictions, while markets have collapsed and feed prices are rising. According to the DA, the budget does not reflect the urgency of the crisis or the impact on work and food supply.

“Farmers who work tirelessly to produce food for Gauteng deserve more than uncertainty and insufficient funding. They deserve a government with a clear strategy that acts quickly, communicates clearly and understands that protecting agriculture means protecting jobs, food security and the economic stability of the province.”

Engelbrecht says the cost of this failure will not only be borne by farmers, but by every household that relies on a job opportunity and affordable food on their table.

“A DA-led Gauteng government would have considered it a priority to allocate sufficient funds to combat foot-and-mouth disease and effectively support affected farmers.”