The government had faced criticism for its incapable policies to curb the foot-and-mouth outbreak and measly state budget to mend the failing “red line” animal disease fences. During last week, the Parliament had emerged that only R12 million a year was allocated throughout the country to maintain animal disease control fences with five neighboring countries and those subsidies from the Public Works Department were “never sufficient”.

The outbreak was first observed in the regions of northern KwaZulu-Natal early this year. In spite of the high risk that the disease can communicate between the wild animals and cattle’s, nothing significant has been done for approximately 36 months to renovate the eastern boundary fence of Ndumo game reserve.

The issue failure has pointed the working of animal health inspectors to judge and analyze the domestic communication of the disease in the most susceptible regions, Kruger National Park border where the disease is widespread among the buffaloes.

While responding to the questions from the DA in Parliament, national Agriculture Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson claimed that the department never claimed adequate financial support to systematically look after disease- control fences.

On the other hand, the DA agriculture Spokesman, Lourie Bosman, claimed: “The most likely theory remains that the disease came in from Mozambique”.