John Steenhuisen under severe pressure

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen is under fire over the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak and problems linked to the vaccine rollout.

On Monday, 25 May 2026, the Pretoria High Court granted an order allowing the private procurement and administration of FMD vaccines.

The Minister of Agriculture was also interdicted from interfering in private commercial relations of those who lawfully import FMD vaccines into South Africa.

This was a big victory for Sakeliga, the Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI), and Free State Agriculture, who fought for the rights of owners and managers of cloven-hooved livestock to protect their cattle.

The court found that the Agriculture Minister, his Director-General, and the Director of Animal Health had vehemently opposed the application.

However, they failed to present any substantive defence and engineered delays in having the matter heard and adjudicated.

The Freedom Front Plus’s chief spokesperson for agriculture, Wynand Boshoff, said this was a major victory for livestock farmers.

“They have long been ready to assist in combating this disease. Their efforts were, however, curtailed by a state that wanted to keep control,” he said.

“It is ironic that John Steenhuisen, with the support of several agricultural organisations, wanted to protect the state’s role against all evidence.”

He added that FMD was a preventable disaster. However, to achieve this, the state needed the private sector’s assistance.

“It is clear that the political question will increasingly be how to compel the state to hand over functions that it can no longer perform,” Boshoff said.

FMD Response SA, a farmer-led and funded initiative to make the operational reality of South Africa’s FMD response visible, also welcomed the ruling.

“The ruling is a critical step in accelerating vaccination efforts needed to contain the spread of the disease,” said FMD Response SA spokesperson Andrew Morphew.

Further litigation on its way

Sakeliga explained that the order they obtained was interim relief, pending the filing of a full review application during June 2026.

“Sakeliga, SAAI, and Free State Agriculture will now proceed with this full review application to secure final relief,” it said.

“This will set aside the minister’s and other respondents’ attempted unlawful prohibition of private FMD vaccine procurement and administration.”

SAAI CEO Francois Rossouw said Steenhuisen was slated in the ruling, as the court ruled that the minister and other officials had unlawfully prohibited farmers from vaccinating their own cattle.

This, he argued, was aggravated by the fact that 90% of commercial beef farmers in KwaZulu-Natal have been unable to access state vaccines.

Although challenging, the court ruling opened the door for farmers to sue Minister Steenhuisen for damages.

“I know of farmers who have already sued the minister for large amounts. I hope they succeed because this was an absolute abuse of power,” he claimed.

“John Steenhuisen is someone who had no expertise whatsoever. He lied intentionally on a number of occasions, and farmers should hold him accountable.”

Rossouw said that although Steenhuisen appointed people with expertise on different advisory committees, he never listened to them.

John Steenhuisen responds to the ruling

Steenhuisen said he noted the interim order issued by the Gauteng Division of the High Court regarding the procurement and administration of vaccines.

“I note that the practical effect of the matter is now largely overtaken by the gazetted Section 10 animal health scheme,” he said.

“This scheme already provides a lawful framework for participation by private industry role players in the national vaccination effort.”

He added that the government has consistently supported a coordinated public-private approach to combating FMD. 

“Millions of vaccines have already been allocated to organised industry structures, including the Milk Producers’ Organisation,” he said. “Further allocations are being rolled out to feedlots, stud breeders and commercial farmers.”

He said their primary focus remains the implementation of the national FMD Strategy through the Ministerial Task Team and the Industry Coordinating Committee on FMD.

“Our objective remains to vaccinate at least 80% of the national cattle population with two doses of vaccine as swiftly as possible,” he said.

“This is part of South Africa’s pathway toward achieving WOAH-recognised FMD-free with vaccination status.”

Steenhuisen said they remain unwaveringly committed to ensuring the strategy’s success and that this is the last major outbreak of FMD.

From bad to worse for Steenhuisen

Member of the National Assembly, Athol Trollip, asked Steenhuisen about problems with the recent consignment of 1.5 million Biogenesis Bago vaccines.

These vaccines arrived at OR Tambo International Airport and were destined for the Agricultural Research Council.

However, they may have been compromised due to a possible interruption in the prescribed cold chain.

Steenhuisen responded, saying he was aware of concerns about possible interruption in the prescribed cold chain.

“On inspection of the thermo-monitors, there was evidence of a temperature spike during the period when the consignment was at the airport,” he said.

“Onderstepoort Biological Products has been requested to investigate the cause of this and to provide a report in this regard, with corrective actions.”

The details of the temperature deviation were sent to the Vaccination Subcommittee of the Ministerial Task Team for independent evaluation and recommendation.

“In addition, one expert from the Ministerial Task Team (MTT) physically inspected the vaccine in the 5kenne pallets,” he said.

Steenhuisen said the vaccine manufacturer indicated that the vaccines can handle momentary nominal temperature increases and maintain efficacy.

“The MTT recommended that the vaccine could be released for use because the temperature fluctuations were unlikely to have a significant impact on vaccine potency,” he said.