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The response follows an article published by www.freshplaza.com on 30 June, claiming: ‘Oriental fruit fly detected in Grabouw, quarantine zone set.”
The department has slammed this as ‘malicious reporting’ that misrepresents the actual status of the pest in the province. “There is no current detection of Oriental fruit fly in the Western Cape,” the department clarified in a statement.
“The pest is neither present nor known to occur in the Western Cape. It has been eradicated from the Grabouw area,” said Dr Maanda Rambauli, the department’s acting director for plant health.
According to the department, the article referenced a source from The Star Media, but authorities could not locate any recent publication confirming such claims.
The department further urged FreshPlaza to retract the report immediately and clarify, since there is no current detection of the pest in the Western Cape.
Pest surveillance and reporting
The department also emphasised that pest surveillance and reporting in South Africa are the responsibility of the National Plant Protection Organisation of South Africa (NPPOZA).
“Any official detections are communicated through the International Phytosanitary Portal (IPP) of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and no such notification regarding the Western Cape has been made,” the department said.
The department reassured farming communities and international trading partners that Oriental fruit flies are under strict control in South Africa.
In affected areas, the pest is regulated in terms of the Agricultural Pests Act (No. 36 of 1983) and managed through the South African Bactrocera dorsalis Action Plan.
Confirmed OFF status in the Western Cape:
- Overberg District Municipality (Grabouw): Absent, pest eradicated
- Cape Winelands (Stellenbosch), Central Karoo, City of Cape Town, Garden Route, West Coast: All confirmed pest-free.
The department also clarified while Oriental fruit fly remains a concern in some parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and sections of the Eastern and Northern Cape, these areas are subject to official control and eradication efforts.
“In many cases, successful eradication has been achieved or is underway.”
The department urged all stakeholders to rely on official communications and pest status updates provided through NPPOZA and refrain from spreading unverified or false information.”
