```html ```

Minister Steenhuisen has appointed Dr Gary Bauer of Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA) to the Ministerial Task Team overseeing the national FMD response.

Dr Bauer will represent the wildlife sector. His appointment comes as South Africa intensifies efforts to regain FMD-free status with vaccination through the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) remain the natural reservoir hosts of all three Southern African Territories (SAT) serotypes of the virus. As a result, they maintain and transmit FMD and remain the primary source of infection for livestock in Southern Africa.

Buffalo herds in red-line districts remain persistent carriers. Once infected, the virus cannot be eradicated from that herd.

“The wildlife sector must be fully integrated into our FMD Recovery Plan,” said Minister Steenhuisen. “Buffaloes are central to the epidemiology of this disease in southern Africa. Any serious strategy to restore our status must account for that reality.”

Why it matters to you

This decision affects livestock farmers, wildlife ranchers and rural workers across South Africa, including the Eastern Cape.

South Africa has more than 3 200 registered disease-free buffalo farms. These farms support tens of thousands of jobs in remote rural areas. In addition, the sector contributes billions of rand annually through hunting, tourism, genetic sales and related services.

However, if infection occurs in a certified disease-free herd, current protocols require the complete culling of that herd.

In large reserves spanning thousands of hectares, with thousands of buffaloes, this becomes practically unworkable. Therefore, the economic, environmental and logistical risks are significant.

Other wildlife species such as warthog and kudu can act as intermediaries. Meanwhile, poor fencing, shared water points and intensive feeding practices increase transmission risk.