Minister John Steenhuisen and MEC Khethiwe Moeketsi lead mass vaccination drive in Mpumalanga, 11 May

The Minister of Agriculture, Mr John Steenhuisen, together with the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Ms Khethiwe Moeketsi, will lead the seventh nationwide mass vaccination rollout campaign against Foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Hazyview on Monday in Mbombela Local Municipality.

Millions of vaccine doses have been imported and distributed across provinces, with ongoing shipments to sustain the rollout. Minister Steenhuisen has continued pushing the mass vaccination drive, with millions of animals already vaccinated. The government aims to vaccinate 80% of the national herd by the end of December 2026, a move expected to reduce outbreaks by 70%.

This mass vaccination strategy is a pivotal step toward securing an FMD-free with vaccination status from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in the near future, with the ultimate goal of being completely FMD-free without vaccination over the long term.

Members of the media are invited to cover the event as follows:

Date: Monday, 11 May 2026
Time: 9h00
Venue: Hazyview, Shabalala Crush Pen (next to Shabalala cemetery), City of Mbombela Local Municipality

Strict biosecurity protocols will be in effect at the Shabalala Crush Pen. All media personnel are kindly requested to wear appropriate outdoor footwear and to RSVP in advance to ensure access to the designated areas.

RSVP: Mr Celani Ndude on 081 823 4493 NdudeWC@mpg.gov.za or Mr Samuel Kgatla on 066 084 6653 SamuelK@nda.agric.za / Medialiaison@nda.agric.za   

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