South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak has become one of the most severe in over a century. Spreading across multiple provinces since 2025, it has destroyed herds, closed auctions, imposed crippling movement bans, and pushed countless farmers toward bankruptcy. For many, the human cost has been tragic.

When DA Minister John Steenhuisen took office in the GNU, livestock farmers breathed a sigh of relief. Here, finally, was a minister from a party that promised clean governance, respect for expertise, and decisive action—unlike the failures of the past. Yet one year later, that initial optimism has given way to serious questions about priorities, delivery, and openness.

The “Breakthrough” Announcement That Doesn’t Add Up

On 6 February 2026, Minister Steenhuisen announced the release of 12,900 locally produced FMD vaccine doses from the ARC-Onderstepoort facility — the first such batch in more than 20 years. He described it as a major step forward in the “war on FMD,” with production planned to reach 20,000 doses per week from March and further scaling in the years ahead.

The numbers, however, tell a different story.

Industry and veterinary estimates indicate that controlling the disease across South Africa’s roughly 12–14 million cattle requires vaccinating a very large proportion of the national herd, in the order of 14 million doses every six months. The current output and projected ramp-up fall dramatically short of that requirement. Even in the most optimistic scenario, meaningful coverage of the national herd remains years away.

More concerning still: this is not a brand-new vaccine. Development began around 2010 with international collaboration, the formulation was fully tested, licensed and registered in 2022, and the achievement was publicly celebrated at the time — and again in 2023. Yet no large-scale production followed. The disease continued to spread while a ready, approved vaccine remained on the shelf.

Why did it take four more years — and a full year under current leadership — for even a token quantity to be produced? Was this simply inherited bureaucratic inertia and chronic underfunding of state facilities, or is there another explanation?

Why Confidentiality in a National Public Crisis?

On 10 February 2026 — only days after Dr Danie Odendaal, one of South Africa’s most experienced ruminant veterinarians and a long-serving member of ministerial FMD task teams, publicly detailed the production delays and scale shortfall — Minister Steenhuisen terminated his membership of the Ministerial Task Team on Controlled Diseases.

The stated reason: Dr Odendaal had refused to sign an impartiality and confidentiality declaration that binds members to refrain from any activity that might compromise their integrity or create a conflict, and that imposes a duty of confidentiality.

The core question is unavoidable:

In a crisis that is already extremely public — one that affects national food security, rural livelihoods, consumer prices, and export markets — why does a ministerial task team require members to sign strict confidentiality clauses at all?

Non-disclosure agreements are standard when protecting commercially sensitive intellectual property, ongoing procurement negotiations, or matters of genuine national security. But FMD control strategy, production delays on a long-licensed state-developed vaccine, and the adequacy (or inadequacy) of response plans are not trade secrets. They are matters of legitimate public interest — especially when taxpayer-funded research and infrastructure are involved and when farmers and consumers bear the consequences.

Removing the Expert Who Spoke Out

Dr Odendaal has served on FMD advisory structures since at least 2016. He has deep institutional knowledge of the disease, the Onderstepoort facility, and what realistic control looks like. In recent public statements (including social-media posts and media interviews), he described the current task team as largely ineffective, with senior officials sidelining practical input from veterinarians and farmers alike.

His removal came immediately after those criticisms became widely circulated.

Agricultural organisations, producer bodies and opposition voices have condemned the decision. Legal action is already being prepared. The optics are stark: a leading expert is sidelined not for incompetence or misconduct, but for refusing to stay silent about documented, years-long shortcomings.

Billions in Vaccine Contracts — and Zero Transparency

When domestic production capacity is so limited, South Africa will have little choice but to import millions of doses or outsource large-scale manufacture to private international laboratories. Either route involves procurement contracts potentially worth billions of rand over the coming years.

In any environment — but especially in South Africa — large, centralised, high-value tenders carry well-known risks. Against that backdrop, the combination of:

• multi-year delays on a ready-licensed vaccine,
• glowing announcements about tiny initial batches presented as major victories,
• strict confidentiality imposed on task-team members,
• and the swift removal of the one senior expert who publicly questioned the narrative

A Reckoning for Those Who Backed the DA

DA supporters backed the party because it promised a clean break from the past: no more cadre deployment, no more excuses, no more opacity, respect for expertise, and results that actually reach people on the ground.

If a DA minister:

• inherits the worst FMD outbreak in living memory,
• spends the better part of a year on roadshows and international engagements while farmers face ruin,
• celebrates token vaccine quantities as breakthroughs while the epidemiological need is orders of magnitude larger,
• and removes a respected, long-serving veterinarian for refusing to sign a secrecy declaration in the middle of a public emergency.

The questions hang in the air, unspoken but insistent:

• Why was a licensed, celebrated vaccine not moved into mass production years ago, when wider devastation could still have been prevented?
• Why impose confidentiality requirements on a task team dealing with a disease and control strategy that are already matters of intense public discussion?
• Why terminate one of the country’s foremost FMD experts precisely when he is highlighting verifiable production failures and inadequate scale?
• With billions of rands potentially flowing through future vaccine contracts, whose interests are actually being protected — those of struggling farmers, or other agendas?

South Africans — especially those who voted for change — deserve more than polished announcements, roadblocks to scrutiny, and silence from the very people appointed to solve the problem.

If this pattern continues, the cost will not only be measured in lost cattle, shuttered auctions and rising food prices. It will also be measured in the steady erosion of public trust in the very political force many hoped would govern differently.

The post Foot-and-Mouth Crisis: A Test of DA Leadership and Transparency appeared first on Alt News Network.

I have personally seen photos of infected calves and adult cows, mucus dripping from their faces, and swollen, red hooves. It’s not a pretty sight, and farmers are losing hope, becoming depressed and have been begging our hapless government for help.

The handling of this emergency by John Steenhuisen’s task team has left a lot to be desired! The man has come under huge scrutiny from farmers and veterinarians alike. The recent sacking of veteran veterinarian Danie Odendal, who has 40 years of scientific experience and is a well-respected man in the farming community, has sent shock waves through South Africa. How dare Steenhuisen fire such a well-versed, intellectual individual, simply for refusing to be part of a cabal of politicians who only operate in the dark and expect favors from morally sound men, which goes against their morals and principles!

SAAI, or the South African Agricultural Initiative’s Dr Theo de Jager, left a heartfelt message on social media- pleading with all role players and community members to collectively condemn Steenhuisen’s pathetic performance as minister of Agriculture and the unceremonious dumping of Dr Danie Odendal for criticizing government’s lethargic response to the crises, which is now sweeping across our country like a tsunami. I, personally, will never be voting for the DA again! Not after what I’ve seen lately, and how Steenhuisen’s party has been pandering, almost bending the knee, to the evil ANC cadres! After decades of giving the DA our votes, voters must seriously reconsider who they would like to govern South Africa in future. We know by now that not the ANC, nor the DA, nor the dreaded EFF or MK Party are up for the challenge of running our country in a proper, honorable way — that leaves us with FF PLUS and a few other smaller parties.

Never did I ever foresee a time in which Steenhuisen and the DA would fall from grace so suddenly, and to top it all, become just another version of the Socialist ANC! The Foot and Mouth crisis has highlighted the vacuum of morality that exists amongst our politicians, showcasing just how much the hunger for power, influence and position can cloud people’s minds! Steenhuisen has become a great example of a once fiercely competitive opposition leader, who has turned out to be a spineless, people-pleasing puppet who couldn’t care less about our farmers, our bio-security, nor our people! Case in point was his poor performance at the White House, when President Trump presented him with an opportunity to come clean about the racism crisis in SA!

The post Foot-and-Mouth Nightmare Exposes Morally Corrupt Politicians appeared first on Alt News Network.

Z Khan’s letter, published in The Mercury on Thursday, 5 February, reveals something about our flawed human characters- that we will go to any lengths to somehow tie a complex issue such as the Epstein files, to blaming our enemies for what had transpired on this sex offenders’ island of sins. Whether Israel was protecting Epstein or not, and whether they had been using these files as leverage to blackmail certain American leaders or people of influence, remains to be seen or proven. What Khan cannot do is assume that the findings of the Epstein files were somehow used by Israel to usher in some sort of World order or to fulfil some Illuminati-inspired quest. I myself have been horrified at what has come out of the Epstein files so far, but I am not looking to leverage these developments for my own personal religious or cultural beliefs!

We need to isolate our ideological ideas from issues where we do not have a full understanding of events that took place. Khan makes very strong statements in her letter, without providing any solid facts. Given the extremely brutal developments in Iran over the last few weeks, anyone who still supports Palestine or claims that Radical Islam somehow cleanses humanity from Israeli occupation must be challenged. Khan’s assumptions are very clear- she does not like Israel, nor does she support Trump or the US. This is acceptable, as we all have our opinions, but can we please refrain from using every opportunity, even when it makes no logical sense, to push our own ideological agendas or ideas?

If Netanyahu and the IDF are guilty of anything, or assuming that they somehow have anything to do with the Epstein scandals, it will eventually come out in the wash. I am a huge fan of atrocities being exposed, but I am also not going to accept it when individuals use sensationalism to further their own agendas. We must guard against becoming desperate in our search for acceptance or in the way in which we try to sway public opinion. My wish is that every sick individual who visited Epstein’s Island and took part in any unthinkable sexual acts will be exposed, and that whoever leveraged this information for personal gain will pay a hefty price.

The post So many Conspiracies Surrounding The Epstein Files appeared first on Alt News Network.

Demagoguery is not a sober, reasoned form of articulation. It’s a blend of emotional manipulation, contradiction, narcissism, paranoia and fanaticism – all of which colour Malema’s rants. His obsession with the myth of white supremacy reflects the white derangement syndrome (WDS) he exhibits.

To assuage his WDS, he blames whites for all the ills and hardships black people are enduring, which, ironically, are the result of the ANC’s implementation of the Freedom Charter – the same servitude to which Malema and the EFF are solidly wedded.  Yet he claims the EFF can remedy the situation by a more radical assertion of Marxism. To appreciate the outcome of such thinking, one has only to look at the long-suffering plight of people in Zimbabwe and Cuba.

Malema says, “We are determined to uphold the laws of the country.” Yet he strenuously objects to the “injustice” of being “dragged to court” for violating the law regarding discharging a firearm in public.

He claims the EFF is “not a racist organization.” But as the world saw from a screen in the White House last March, Malema incites the killing of whites. Under oath in court, he called all white people “criminals” who “must be driven into the sea” and that “any white who remains here is going to be killed” (quoted in Biznews, 24 June 2025). Of course, prior to that testimony, he called for whites to be “slaughtered” at some future point, which, as the revolutionary commander in chief, is his prerogative to determine.

Like his ideological comrades in the MKP and ANC, Malema bangs the drum of landlessness. If there was any credibility in that, the outcomes of the cases of land restitution claims would provide proof. But in 90% of the cases, the claimants have preferred to accept the cash value rather than the land itself.

When the momentum is no longer with them, and they are on the wrong side of issues, Marxists rant about oppression and betrayal while doubling down on the failed policies that have brought about misery and political rejection.

Far from the EFF being “a historical necessity,” as Malema insists, its violent, racist, 1980s-type struggle demagoguery is actually a historical anachronism in post-apartheid South Africa.

The post Malema Exhibits White Derangement Syndrome appeared first on Alt News Network.

South Africa’s National Treasury is racing to push through the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Bill of 2025, a law dressed as an anti-corruption measure but poised to expand state control into private lives. Under the guise of satisfying international financial standards, the Bill grants the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) unprecedented powers to probe citizens’ personal finances through so-called “lifestyle audits.”

What the government presents as a necessary regulatory step masks a far more troubling reality: the state is positioning itself as an omnipresent overseer of ordinary citizens, NPOs, and companies alike.

The Mechanics of Lifestyle Audits

A “lifestyle audit” under this Bill means the FIC can proactively investigate whether an individual’s standard of living matches their declared income, at the request of municipalities, public entities, or other state organs. Citizens are no longer passive participants in monitoring; the state can now scrutinize every aspect of their finances and personal life. Banks and other “accountable institutions” must retain personal records for seven years—up from five—and these records are fully accessible to the FIC.

Expanded Powers Across Institutions

• Non-Profit Organisations: The NPO Directorate gains policing authority, including the power to issue compliance notices and impose fines or imprisonment for non-compliance.
• Companies: Failure to submit securities registers on time could result in deregistration. Administrative penalties are now enforceable.
• Financial Regulators: Amendments to the Financial Sector Regulation Act allow regulators to bypass licensing norms and investigate beneficial owners of institutions, extending government oversight into previously protected corporate structures.

A Threat to Privacy and Freedom

Framed as a move to prevent money laundering, the Bill is effectively a Trojan horse for authoritarian control. By monitoring citizens’ “lifestyles” and granting sweeping powers to state regulators, the government is breaching the fundamental constitutional right to privacy. These measures mirror tactics seen in fascist regimes, where bureaucratic oversight becomes a tool for political and social control.

South Africans must ask themselves: do we want a government that can probe our bank accounts, investigate personal expenditures, and enforce compliance under threat of fines or jail—without adequate oversight? This Bill is less about financial integrity and more about creating a surveillance apparatus that normalises state intrusion into daily life.

The 2025 General Laws Amendment Bill is not merely an administrative update; it is a blueprint for a government-driven social audit system. South Africans should view this as an alarm bell—one that signals a shift toward authoritarianism disguised as compliance.

The time to act is now. Citizens must submit comments opposing the Bill before it becomes law, asserting the constitutional protections of privacy, freedom, and due process.

Questions for Readers:

• Should a government have the right to probe the standard of living of its citizens?
• At what point does anti-money laundering become state surveillance?
• Are we willing to exchange privacy for the promise of financial oversight, or are we opening the door to creeping authoritarianism?

South Africans, your privacy is at stake. The 2025 Lifestyle Audits Bill gives the FIC sweeping powers to probe your personal life and finances. Don’t stay silent—have your say and fight back. Submit your comment to oppose this overreach here: dearsouthafrica.co.za.

The post South Africa’s Lifestyle Audits Bill Could Spy On Your Life appeared first on Alt News Network.

Record Issuance Masks Critical Risks
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) issued over 4 million smart ID cards in 2025, a 17% increase over the previous year. Minister Leon Schreiber hailed this as a milestone in South Africa’s digital transformation, emphasizing faster access to banking, employment, and social grants. While production numbers are impressive, roughly 14 million green ID books still need replacement—a process projected to stretch until at least 2028.

What is missing from official statements is any discussion of potential risks. Globally, digital ID systems have been linked to data breaches, government overreach, and marginalization of vulnerable citizens. The “fraud-prone” label applied to green ID books by the DHA serves more as a justification for rapid adoption than a documented reality.

Global Precedents Highlight Pitfalls

Digital identity systems are not new. India’s Aadhaar program, the world’s largest biometric ID system, has faced widespread criticism: data leaks exposed millions of citizens’ information, and errors have left individuals unable to access essential services. Estonia, often cited as a model for digital governance, has experienced cybersecurity breaches that threatened citizens’ personal data. These cases underscore that technology alone does not guarantee security—and that centralizing citizen information creates high-value targets for abuse or exploitation.

Privacy and Surveillance Risks

Centralized digital IDs inherently create the possibility of mass surveillance. They consolidate biometric, financial, and personal data into a single database, accessible to both government and, potentially, third-party actors. In practice, this makes citizens more traceable in their everyday lives, raising questions about how personal data may be monitored, shared, or monetized. In a society with already strained trust in government institutions, the implications are profound: citizens may comply without full understanding, while oversight mechanisms remain weak.

Unelected Influence Behind the Push

South Africa’s digital ID initiative aligns with global trends promoted by international organizations, tech consortiums, and unelected entities advocating for a “digital identity for all.” Agencies such as the World Bank, UN digital identity programs, and fintech consortiums encourage centralized systems purportedly for inclusion and efficiency. Yet these agendas are not subject to direct democratic accountability, potentially prioritizing global digital strategies over citizen rights and local governance realities.

Access and Exclusion Issues

While the DHA emphasizes expanded access via bank branches, significant gaps remain: rural populations, unbanked individuals, and technologically marginalized citizens may struggle to obtain a digital ID. A system that increasingly relies on digital infrastructure risks creating a “digital divide”, where those without access to technology are inadvertently excluded from essential services like banking, healthcare, and government support.

South Africa’s push for smart IDs is positioned as a technological leap forward, yet the rollout leaves critical questions unanswered. Globally, digital ID systems have demonstrated that centralization of personal data carries serious privacy, security, and inclusion risks. Furthermore, the drive toward digital identity aligns with unelected global agendas, raising questions about whose interests these systems truly serve.

South Africans must consider: Are smart IDs a genuine solution to fraud and inefficiency—or the start of a surveillance infrastructure that could compromise privacy, equity, and autonomy for decades to come?

The post Digital IDs in South Africa: Efficiency or Encroachment? appeared first on Alt News Network.

Chinese, Iranians, Russians…they too have been in on the action for decades now- having raped, abused and annihilated Lady South Africa, to the point where she can be found lying on the floor and bleeding out. Radicalised ‘Refugees’ who call themselves Palestinians are able to fly into the country, unchecked and apparently without prior knowledge and with the help of some influential do-gooders, they are allowed to enjoy and pollute our precious land- who knows how many of these poor souls have already flown into SA? They must be so hungry, shame! Worst of all, their passports have not been stamped, along with the millions of others who have visited Israel since 2013! Just like the Guptas, they only deserve our utmost best treatment! Besides, no other Arab nation wants anything to do with them! I wonder why?

As if Lady SA has not had to endure enough abuse and annihilation already since the Zuma/Ramaphosa years, foreigners flood through our borders to also come and enjoy the spoils. Nigerians, who unceremoniously murder and behead Christians in true seal-clubbing fashion, are allowed into SA unchecked, and not only that..they take our jobs, add to our outrageous crime stats, rape, kill and destroy. What does our government do? They simply keep welcoming these destroyers, as if they add value to our economy! All we can do is stand and watch in horror.

At the current rate, SA will soon be an unrecognizable wasteland, an Armageddon-like heap of rubble, much like Gaza- the only difference is, Gaza had it coming, and SA has been pummeled, pillaged, ransacked and abused by the very ones who were supposed to build and protect it! But the Apartheid narrative has to be kept alive. The Cadres have to keep eating, and boy, have they eaten! The feast has carried on for 30 years, and the Global South, the likes of Khamenei, Jinping, Putin and co have not been too disappointed. Thanks to the ANC vultures, they too have enjoyed free reign, just like the Guptas, Palestinians and Nigerians, communist World leaders are treated to a red carpet and a buffet of taxpayer-sponsored delicatessen! What the White man has worked for, the ANC has reaped the benefits of, and on top of that, the White man must still apologize for the wrongs of the past, even if they happened before many of our lifetimes! But hey, Palestine must be free!

The post Free Palestine, Whilst SA Dies appeared first on Alt News Network.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but we have all heard of the Deep State. There can be no doubt that a very evil cabal of leftist, globalist oligarchs exists for the purpose of socially dividing us and watching the chaos on full display! Paid actors are being used as political weapons to advance anti-Western agendas, waving Palestinian flags and burning the American flag, as well as the Israeli flag. Eurovision, the world’s largest live music event, wants Israel to exit or, alternatively, take part without displaying its flag! Students in the US have caused pandemonium ever since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office, and now that Trump is back, they have ramped up their sickening transgender madness, causing such confusion amongst young Americans and openly challenging Charlie Kirk on issues of gender, Christianity, family values and abortion.

Kirk was a brilliant man who opened up his life to confused young students, providing them a platform to debate him and to ask questions…sharpening their characters as they wrestled within themselves and struggled with their own identities…Kirk was patient, fair and extremely articulate in the way that he asked piercing questions in order to get the youth to think for themselves, rather than to be bought by Globalist puppet masters who weaponizes them for their nefarious goals. He was uncompromising in his faith, steadfast in what he had believed- a real family man and a warrior for God’s Kingdom.

The future seems uncertain without Charlie, for he was a massive voice of reason in the US, admired by people all around the World- a bright shining light in a very dark and demonic season. Very few individuals had his passion, his energy and his wisdom when it comes to issues of faith, identity and Judeo-Christian values. The killing of this man has opened a very ugly can of worms! It is my opinion that it was all very well planned and a calculated assassination, with much larger goals than just getting rid of a very strong conservative voice. The leftist, globalist elite wants to scare away our democracy, threaten our free speech and snuff out our ability to reason and to debate each other like mature human beings. Ultimately, I wonder if they are pushing for a civil war, leading to inevitable mass censorship of all speech by the global government! We wait in anticipation.

The post The Left Has Dragged Us Into Global Chaos appeared first on Alt News Network.

According to early reports, the fatal shot struck Kirk in the neck from an elevated location approximately 200 yards from where he was speaking, suggesting a high level of marksmanship. Multiple law enforcement experts and former FBI agents have described the shooting as exhibiting the characteristics of a calculated and professional operation.

A suspect initially taken into custody, identified as Zachary Ahmed Kureshi of Salt Lake City, was subsequently released after questioning. Authorities continue to pursue leads and have not confirmed a motive. FBI Director Cash Patel stated that several investigative avenues remain open, including potential foreign intelligence links to the shooting.

Video footage of the incident shows Kirk seated under a tent, with the shot fired from a vantage point out of immediate sight of the audience. Analysts note that the single precision shot and subsequent evasion indicate careful planning. Experts have emphasized that it does not appear to have been the act of an impulsive or inexperienced shooter.

Reactions across the United States have highlighted the risks of political violence. Several public figures expressed concern over the escalation of threats against prominent voices, calling for restraint and the rule of law to guide the response.

Kirk was known for his advocacy of conservative principles and engagement in public discourse, often participating in debates across political divides. His death has prompted calls for a thorough investigation and heightened security at public events nationwide.

No suspects are currently in custody, and authorities have urged anyone with information regarding the shooting to come forward.

The post Charlie Kirk Assassinated During Utah Campus Event appeared first on Alt News Network.

The Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, recently gazetted the first two sets of regulations under the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA Act) of 2024 for public comment. These regulations focus on school admissions, language policy, and school capacity. The Department claims they are designed to uphold learners’ rights, improve school functionality, and balance powers between schools and government.

Why This Is Controversial:

Critics say the regulations deviate from the original BELA Act and may harm learners rather than help them. Key concerns include:

• Feeder Zones vs. Education Districts: The regulations introduce “feeder zones” to control enrolment, replacing the Act’s reference to broader “education districts”. Experts warn this could reinforce local demographic homogeneity, limiting access for previously disadvantaged learners.

• HOD Admission Authority: The Head of Department (HOD) can overrule school governing bodies, potentially reducing transparency and increasing political influence in placements.

• Language Policy Risks: Critics, including the GOOD Party, argue that language rules in schools could preserve historical privileges and entrench exclusion rather than promote inclusivity.

• Parental Rights and Immunisation Rules: Parents remain concerned about compulsory vaccination proof for admission, with exemptions requiring bureaucratic approval.

• Learner Impact: Confusion over regulations, delays, and fragmented implementation may disrupt learning, increase administrative burdens on schools, and leave vulnerable learners at risk of exclusion.

Stakeholder Reactions:

• SADTU accuses the Minister of using the regulations to sow confusion, delay implementation, and advance a political agenda, highlighting that the Act itself grants only the power to make regulations, not guidelines.

• The GOOD Party warns that new language in the regulations undermines legislative intent and could entrench historical inequalities.

• PEESA supports reform to enforce accountability; however, it stresses that regulations should not remove powers from school governing bodies.

Call to Action:

Parents, educators, and concerned citizens are urged to review the draft regulations and submit feedback before September 30, 2025. Comments can be sent to AdmissionRegz@dbe.gov.za. You can also make your voice heard via dearsouthafrica.co.za/.

The post BELA Act Regulations Spark Controversy Over School Admissions and Learner Rights appeared first on Alt News Network.