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The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture has concluded its engagements with the Minister of Agriculture, provincial MECs for agriculture and senior officials from the national and provincial departments of agriculture on provincial interventions to combat Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).

The committee called for urgent measures to address structural weaknesses that continue to undermine South Africa's ability to contain and ultimately eradicate the disease. It welcomed the progress made in scaling up the national vaccination programme, including government's procurement of 17 million vaccine doses, with a further four million doses expected, as well as the decision to broaden vaccine distribution through the private sector and expand the pool of authorised vaccinators. It said these developments represent an important step towards a more coordinated national response.

The committee further commended several provinces for the progress achieved despite severe resource constraints. It noted that the North West has vaccinated close to 85 per cent of its cattle population, while both the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal have surpassed the 50 per cent vaccination mark, with KwaZulu-Natal having vaccinated more than 1.3 million cattle. The committee acknowledged that provinces with large livestock populations, including KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and the Eastern Cape, require sustained resources to complete vaccination programmes.

The committee expressed concern, however, that the Eastern Cape which has the country's largest cattle herd of approximately 3.6 million cattle, has vaccinated fewer than 40 per cent of its livestock and requires urgent national support to accelerate its vaccination campaign.

While recognising the progress made across provinces, including Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape and the Western Cape, the committee emphasised that South Africa's response to FMD remains constrained by longstanding structural challenges.

Among the committee's major concerns is the severe shortage of veterinarians, Animal Health Technicians, data capturers and other technical personnel. Members of the committee heard that high vacancy rates continue to delay vaccination campaigns, disease surveillance, reporting and data management placing additional pressure on already limited veterinary capacity.

The committee also noted that inadequate funding remains one of the greatest obstacles to effective disease control. Provinces consistently reported that current budget allocations are insufficient to sustain vaccination campaigns, surveillance activities, quarantine operations, livestock movement control and disease monitoring. The committee stressed that sustainable funding must become a national priority if South Africa is to restore its animal health status, safeguard food security and protect export markets.

The committee further observed uneven implementation of the Livestock Identification and Traceability System (LITS), with some provinces reporting shortages of electronic identification tags, computer equipment, technical support and personnel. The committee reiterated that an effective traceability system is fundamental to disease control, market access and international confidence in South African livestock products.

Members also raised concerns about weaknesses in enforcement, including illegal livestock movements, porous provincial and international borders, inadequate quarantine infrastructure, the shortage of municipal animal pounds and inconsistent compliance with disease reporting requirements. The Committee said these challenges require stronger coordination between national, provincial and local government, together with law enforcement agencies.

The committee welcomed the department's commitment to modernising South Africa's animal health system through the implementation of regulations under the Animal Health Act and the strengthening of livestock identification systems.

The Acting Chairperson of the Committee, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, said the engagements demonstrated that vaccine availability alone would not eradicate FMD. “Success will require adequate funding, skilled personnel, modern traceability systems, strengthened border management, effective enforcement, improved infrastructure and sustained cooperation between all spheres of government and industry stakeholders,” she said.

The committee has requested regular progress reports from the department on vaccine procurement and distribution, provincial vaccination performance, recruitment of veterinary personnel and Animal Health Technicians, implementation of the Livestock Identification and Traceability System, strengthening of quarantine infrastructure and municipal animal pounds, progress in finalising regulations under the Animal Health Act, and implementation of the long-term national roadmap towards FMD control and eventual eradication.

The committee further noted that although FMD has been classified as a disaster, this is distinct from the declaration of a state of disaster. The committee supports the declaration of FMD as a disaster to enable the release of emergency funding and additional resources to assist affected provinces and vulnerable farmers who continue to suffer significant livestock losses.

The committee reaffirmed its commitment to robust oversight while supporting all efforts aimed at protecting South Africa's livestock industry, safeguarding food security, preserving export markets and sustaining rural livelihoods.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

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The Portfolio Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation conducted an oversight visit to the National Integrated Cyber Infrastructure System (NICIS) at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Rosebank to assess NICIS's infrastructure, capabilities and its contribution to South Africa's digital transformation agenda.

The NICIS promotes scientific and industrial development through the provision of high-performance computing capability, high-speed network connectivity, and a national research data infrastructure. These capabilities are integrated into globally connected systems and local research infrastructure, providing seamless access to computing, networking, and data services for South Africa's research and education communities.

The NICIS is a national initiative of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation and is implemented by the CSIR. The Centre for High Performance Computing is one of the three pillars of the NICIS and provides high-performance computing resources and services to researchers in academia, government, and industry.

The other two pillars are the South African National Research Network which provides high-speed connectivity and advanced networking services to the research and education sector, and the Data Intensive Research Initiative of South Africa which provides national research data infrastructure and services that support sound data management practices and enable data-driven scientific and engineering discoveries.

Key findings:

• The Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) houses Lengau, South Africa's flagship supercomputer and one of the fastest supercomputers on the African continent. The system can process massive volumes of data within seconds, enabling advanced scientific research, innovation, and complex computational analysis.
• The NICIS supports the Electronic Vaccination Data System, enabling secure vaccination registration, certification, and real-time health data management.
• Digital Government and Data Sovereignty: NICIS provides secure digital infrastructure that protects critical government data, strengthens cybersecurity, and supports South Africa's digital sovereignty.
• Public Sector Digital Transformation: NICIS enables digital public services through high-performance computing and secure data infrastructure, improving service delivery across government and healthcare.
• Industry, Research and Economic Development: NICIS supports key sectors, including engineering, ICT, biotechnology, mining, and aerospace, through advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and big data capabilities.
• Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing: The CHPC's Lengau supercomputer delivers world-class computing power, positioning South Africa as a leader in AI, scientific computing, and data-intensive research in Africa.
• National Research and Education Infrastructure: Through SANReN and DIRISA, NICIS provides high-speed connectivity and secure data services to universities, TVET colleges, science councils, and research institutions.
• Secure National Data Storage: DIRISA operates a secure national data centre with the capacity to store critical research and government data, supporting improved data governance and national digital resilience.

The committee noted that the CHPC is positioning South Africa as a leader on the African continent in the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to support e-government, higher education and research institutions, industry, and communities.

The committee observed that the CHPC requires expansion, as the current facility has reached its maximum capacity and the available infrastructure is insufficient to accommodate future growth.

The committee noted the continuous need for investment in the CHPC, the South African National Research Network, and the Data Intensive Research Initiative of South Africa to upgrade and modernise their infrastructure.

Sustained investment is essential to ensure that these national cyber infrastructure platforms keep pace with rapidly evolving digital technologies, growing demand for computing and data services, and global state-of-the-art standards. Such investment will strengthen South Africa's technological sovereignty by reducing reliance on foreign cloud services and international data storage, while expanding secure, locally hosted cloud and data storage capabilities for government, research institutions, and industry.

The committee's oversight visit reaffirmed NICIS' critical role in advancing South Africa's digital infrastructure and innovation ecosystem. The committee recognised that continued investment in high-performance computing infrastructure and secure national data storage is essential to strengthening scientific research, supporting digital public services, driving artificial intelligence capabilities, and enhancing the country's global competitiveness in science, technology, and innovation.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.