Latest news with #WynandBoshoff
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Addressing SA's foot-and-mouth disease: The need for strategic vaccination and traceability
Meat and dairy farmers have been suffering economic setbacks for months due to the restrictions on the movement of livestock. Image: IOL/ RON AI The solution to ridding South Africa of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) lies in traceability, strategic vaccination, domestic production and accurate scientific information. The Department of Agriculture said there were FMD outbreaks in KwaZulu-Natal, which have spread to Mpumalanga and Gauteng. One farm in Mpumalanga was identified as part of trace-forward exercises from a positive auction in Utrecht, KZN, while another farm was reported in Gauteng. That was according to the Freedom Front Plus MP and chief spokesperson on agriculture, Dr Wynand Boshoff, who said meat and dairy farmers have been suffering economic setbacks for months due to the restrictions on the movement of livestock in parts of northern KZN and the Eastern Cape. 'The problem is the requirement that milk from animals in affected areas must be double-pasteurised. Cattle in the affected areas may also not be sold at all,' Boshoff said. 'Commercial and subsistence farmers in the affected parts of KwaZulu-Natal have been unable to sell any livestock since February this year. This has led to the illegal transport of animals and subsequent contamination in other provinces.' Boshoff said South Africa was once FMD-free due to careful, nationwide vaccinations. However, over the past decades, state veterinary services and Onderstepoort Biological Products, which manufactured the vaccine, declined significantly. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'The most pressing issue is that the strict measures imposed by the Department of Agriculture are not based on science. While foot-and-mouth disease is deadly and catastrophic for the entire agricultural ecosystem in the Northern Hemisphere, this is not the case in South Africa,' Boshoff said. He said that in a written response in Parliament, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen confirmed that no cattle died in the latest outbreak and that the disease has not been detected in sheep or goats. Yet the imposed restrictions apply to all cloven-hoofed animals. 'The problem is exacerbated by the high cost of vaccines that are being imported from Botswana, even though South African facilities can produce them at much lower costs. Accreditation remains the major hurdle for these laboratories,' Boshoff said. He said that at current prices, it would cost approximately R5.4 billion over three years to eliminate the disease from the country. 'The solution would only be temporary, though, as buffaloes also carry the disease, and cattle move freely between South Africa and neighbouring countries,' Boshoff said. 'The solution lies in traceability, strategic vaccination, domestic production and accurate scientific information. 'Targeted traceability would ensure that restrictions are only imposed on affected farms.' Meanwhile, during a portfolio committee meeting last week, Department of Agriculture Deputy Director-General Dipepeneneneng Serage said they were going to have to prioritise funding, which they do not have enough of, to procure vaccines and have them shipped into the country. 'Our Agricultural Research Council is able to produce some vaccines but albeit not on a large scale. We've started a process of ensuring that we double the capacity at the Agricultural Research Council to produce additional vaccines so that we rely on our own South African-produced vaccine and no longer rely on vaccines from Botswana,' Serage said. He said some farmer organisations and farmers approached the department and asked it to allow them to purchase vaccines themselves. 'We are going to allow one farm, farmer or farming business this next week or so for them to purchase vaccines directly, but under the supervision of our veterinary services to ensure that they don't wait on state resources, which are dwindling,' Serage said.
The South African
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Orania slams EFF, reveals why Afrikaner town SHOULD exist
Orania leaders have responded to calls from Northern Cape Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) representatives who have hailed the Afrikaner town as a 'modern day Apartheid'. They've also shared their views on why the whites-only town should exist, despite calls for it to be dismantled. On Tuesday, 22 April, the political party marched to the Premier's office, handing over a memorandum to authorities to legally view the community's status. In their official Facebook page, Orania leaders condemned the call to action by the Northern Cape EFF, particularly provincial leader Shadrack Tlhaole. The post contained the community's various reasons why Orania should have the right to exist. It read: 'We do not demand, and we do not beg. All our efforts are directly focused on construction, not on denying anyone else's rights. 'We encourage people to build schools, communities, and more. This is what the Oranians have been doing for more than thirty years with scarce resources. 'Orania exists in terms of article 235 of the constitution, historical agreements and recognition, and a God-given international law, and is completely legal. Orania is and remains an African community. Calling their town a 'Utopia', the post continued: 'A future must be built! Orania is building, and everyone is welcome to learn from it! 'Orania is not an organization that can be disbanded. We are a community, a home for our people. So, Orania will not fall; Orania will stand'. In a statement issued to The South African , the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) backed Orania's right to exist. Northern Cape leader and MP, Dr. Wynand Boshoff, shared: 'Since its founding, the VF Plus has been advocating self-determination, as embodied by Orania, among others. Therefore, the party unequivocally rejects the EFF's demands. 'In a multi-ethnic country like South Africa, there is often a majority that pays lip service to recognising diversity but, in reality, denies it. Such a policy denies minorities the leeway to maintain a dynamic culture through various institutions. This is typically done in the name of national unity. He added: 'The opposite approach is to grant minorities all the room they need for cultural expression and even for government to promote such expression'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Freedom Front Plus defends Orania amid EFF's calls for review
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) launched a staunch rebuttal against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) following the party's major protest against the existence of Orania, a 'whites only' town in the Northern Cape. On Tuesday, a significant contingent of EFF supporters marched to the Premier's office in Kimberley, where they presented a memorandum demanding the review of Orania's status, asserting that its existence contradicts both the spirit and letter of the South African Constitution. However, VF Plus Member of Parliament Dr Wynand Boshoff countered these claims, describing the EFF's position to be unfounded. "Since its founding, the VF Plus has been advocating self-determination, as embodied by Orania, among others. Therefore, the party unequivocally rejects the EFF's demands. In a multi-ethnic country like South Africa, there is often a majority that pays lip service to recognising diversity but, in reality, denies it," Boshoff said. Dr Boshoff went on to argue that the EFF's approach not only undermines the diverse fabric of South Africa but also denies minorities the opportunity to foster and maintain a vibrant culture through various institutions. He further elaborated that the push for a single cultural narrative often forces minority groups into a corner, reducing their ability to express their identities fully.
