John Steenhuisen under fire

New research by the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) showed that farmers have lost trust in the Department of Agriculture and Minister John Steenhuisen.

Most farmers are frustrated by the Department of Agriculture’s slow response to the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

They also expressed great concern regarding the vaccine rollout and supply, the sidelining of expertise, and a lack of accountability.

Saai raised the question of whether declaring the disease a national disaster would lead to swift, practical action.

“With approximately 14 million cattle requiring protection, limited releases and centralization cannot solve the crisis,” it said.

Dr. Wynand Boshoff, the Freedom Front Plus’ chief spokesperson for agriculture, shared Saai’s concerns.

He said the Saai research showed that farmers have completely lost confidence in the Department of Agriculture’s bureaucratic and political leadership.

The poll, with more than 2,000 individual participants, showed that 95% of respondents believe the response to the disease was too slow.

“While livestock farmers wait for vaccines from Argentina and Turkey by the end of February, it will already be too late to avert the crisis,” he said.

Boshoff warned that South Africa faces a total collapse of governance, equal to load shedding over the last two decades.

“It is unthinkable that the same officials who have steered the department into this crisis should be entrusted with leading the country out of it,” he said.

“Steenhuisen said his department had misled him and Parliament about its progress with vaccine production and its ability to manage the containment of the disease.”

He said it points to serious shortcomings in the department’s administration and in political oversight.

“The result is that a disease that had only affected a few regions as late as the beginning of 2025 is now completely out of control,” he said.

Boshoff said time is running out for Steenhuisen to keep claiming that this is an inherited problem.

“He should take responsibility for the nearly two years of his own administration, during which foot-and-mouth disease escalated to a comprehensive crisis,” he said.

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Results of the Foot-and-Mouth Crisis Poll

The full details of the poll by the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) are provided below.

Did John Steenhuisen react quickly and effectively?

• 96%: Too slow and insufficient
• 3%: Handled well
• 1%: No opinion

Management of Vaccine Access

• 96%: Delays worsened the outbreak
• 3%: Excellent
• 1%: No opinion

Is Odendaal being silenced?

• 95%: Yes, experts are being silenced
• 3%: No, justified
• 2%: No opinion

Should John Steenhuisen resign or be held more accountable?

• 87%: Yes, leadership has failed
• 9%: No, give more time
• 4%: No opinion

Where does the core problem lie?

• 47%: Over-centralized state control
• 27%: Bureaucratic delays
• 21%: Slow local production
• 4%: Uncoordinated management
• 1%: No major problem

Will you stand together with Dr. Odendaal?

• 94%: Yes
• 6%: No

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