Agriculture and Bio-security - the ticking time bomb for KwaZulu-Natal

24 June 2019

The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal will soon embark on a series of oversight inspections of the Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique border regions as well as the ports of entry at King Shaka, Port of Durban and Port of Richards Bay in order to ascertain the risk levels posed by bio-security threats coming from outside the country.

The inspections come after a number of bio-security related issues in recent months which the DA believes pose a serious risk to agriculture in our province, both directly and indirectly. More recently, disease such as anthrax as well as foot and mouth disease have shown how susceptible the agricultural sector is to outside threats.

The DA has in the past exposed how animals, and people, move freely across our country’s border with Swaziland on a daily basis. Any one of these animals or people could bring a disease that has the potential to cripple part of or all of KZN’s agricultural sector. One only has to look at the issue of foot and mouth disease and its effects on the meat industry as an example.

Bio-security as threats to the agricultural sector cannot be ignored. They have the potential to force thousands to lose their jobs and to undermine food security in the province. It is therefore critical that government prioritise the allocation of resources in order to stop the free flow of animals, plants and people.

A DA-led government would prioritize this issue and ensure that bio-threats are minimised through tightly monitored and controlled movement of agricultural goods into South Africa though KZN’s borders. The DA would amongst other:

- Utilise drone technology to increase border patrols;

- Increase the 15 SANDF companies currently protecting South Africa’s borders to the required 22 and ensure that they are properly resourced and trained;

- Ensure effective, efficient and coordinated border security and control through increased policing capacity at our border posts and along our borders;

- Increase the deployment of SANDF personnel in areas where protected areas border neighbouring countries; and

- Ensure that sufficient resources such as scanners are placed at border posts to ensure that trucks are thoroughly searched.

The DA will submit its findings and solutions following the various site inspections to KZN Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi for further investigation and response to the province’s ARD portfolio committee.

The DA is committed to ensuring that KZN’s agricultural sector is protected against outside threats by lobbying the ANC-led provincial government to implement our practical solutions that aim to ensure that our agricultural sector is protected. Farmers and communities with information are encouraged to contact [email protected].

Issued by Chris Pappas, DA KZN Spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development, 24 June 2019