The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has reluctantly granted the Department of Agriculture an extension until 5 May to publish a foot-and-mouth disease vaccination scheme, after missing previous deadlines. Agricultural organisations expressed outrage over the delays amid an ongoing FMD outbreak. Judge CJ van der Westhuizen ordered punitive costs against state officials.
On 28 April 2026, the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria heard arguments in ongoing litigation over foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination efforts. Agricultural groups Sakeliga, Saai and Free State Agriculture, who launched an urgent application in February, seek to lift restrictions on private vaccine procurement and administration.
The court had previously ordered the Department of Agriculture to promulgate a draft Section 10 scheme by 17 April, following a 24 March hearing. The department published a draft Routine Vaccination Scheme for Foot and Mouth Disease (RVS-FMD) on 10 April for public comment, promising final publication on 24 April. Director-General Mooketsa Ramasodi cited a large volume of substantive comments as the reason for the delay.
Judge CJ van der Westhuizen noted the FMD outbreak's status as a national emergency but criticised the department's apparent diminished urgency. He granted the extension to 5 May reluctantly and ordered the Minister of Agriculture, Director-General and Director of Animal Health to pay punitive attorney-and-client costs, including for two counsels.
Saai stated that delays risk collapsing farmers' businesses as the disease spreads weekly. Sakeliga called the scheme no solution to their demands and plans to proceed to the 11 May hearing. The department is studying the order and has vaccinated 2.1 million animals with four million doses received since February, Minister John Steenhuisen announced on 22 April.
