In April 2019, some informal pig keepers on the outskirts of Daveyton next to Masenkeng informal settlement) bought pigs at an auction at Sundra, Mpumalanga and a few days later, they reported unusual deaths in the pigs which were confirmed to have African Swine Fever (ASF) virus. This was the first reported outbreak in the Province. Two hundred and fifty-seven pigs (257) belonging to nineteen communal pig farmers were culled. The average number of pigs per farmer was fourteen.  
ASF is a disease of pigs, both domestic and wild pigs, that is caused by a virus.  Wild pigs (bush pigs, warthogs and European wild boars) are considered reservoirs for the disease as they will not show any clinical signs when infected but will be able to infect other pigs that they come into contact with.  The disease is also spread between pigs by soft ticks (tampans) that would be found habiting warthog burrows. Domestic pigs that come into contact with either infected wild pigs, infected pig products or other infected domestic pigs will become seriously sick and most will die from the disease.
More outbreaks were reported in May 2019 where a small-scale farmer in Vanderbijlpark was reported to have visited the Hersa auction in Vereeniging and bought pigs from a Free State farmer whose pigs had been diagnosed with ASF.  The farmer inevitably introduced infected pigs into his farm, which as a result infected his animals.  A total of ninety-six (96) pigs were culled on this farm and disposed.  Again, between the end of May and middle of June, 2019, the department became aware of pigs dying around Alra Park near Nigel, Ninety-one (91) pigs belonging to fourteen farmers were culled and disposed of.  
​Towards te end of June another outbreak was detected at an agricultural small holding in Hallgate (Nigel) in which seven (7) pigs were culled. A further 55 pigs belonging to 4 farmers were culled on the 1 of July 2019 in the Alra Park extension 3 area as they were in close proximity to the outbreak area. At the beginning of August another outbreak was detected in Leeuwfontein Farm on the Lesedi side of Nigel in which thirty-four confined pigs were culled.
​The current and latest outbreak was detected in an informal set up in the Swanieville area under West Rand district. A group of about five pig owners are affected. The estimated population of pigs in the area is in the region of one-thousand (1000). The culling process is still pending.
The Gauteng Department for Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) has instituted the following measures in an attempt to minimize the spread of the disease to other regions:
GDARD, together with other affected Provinces, directed the cessation of selling of pigs at auctions until the ASF outbreak is declared over in Gauteng.  The unintended consequence of this disease control measure was curtailing the sale of pigs other than through registered abattoirs.  
The department has also implemented a system of issuing of movement permits for farmers wishing to move their pigs to abattoirs for slaughter. 
Pig farmers are advised to contact their local state veterinarian to enable them to acquire these health attestations and/or movement permits.
The department is in the process of procuring pig feed for distribution to small scale farmers to buffer against losses resulting from the inability to sell their pigs in the live market.
GDARD has also intensified ASF awareness measures and strongly emphasized the importance of maintaining optimal biosecurity measures in their farms. In this regard, the department has held face-to-face engagements with pig farmers in all regions of Gauteng.  The field officials have also distributed the pamphlet detailing information about the ASF and what measures to take to reduce the risk of spread of the disease
To this end, we wish to caution farmers to take notice of the following clinical signs of ASF in Domestic pigs:
Most infected pigs will be found dead, sometimes even before any clinical signs are seen
Pigs will be listless and cluster together since they will have a fever
Pigs will stop eating completely or eat very little. Some diarrhea may be seen.
Infected pigs will start to show reddish-bluish discoloration of the skin, especially around the ears, abdomen and legs, bleeding from the nose and rectum.
Pregnant sows will abort 
In order to prevent the spread of ASF, farmers are encouraged to take the following precautionary measures:
Practice the strictest biosecurity measures, be on high alert and report any mortalities to the nearest state veterinary office
Avoid the feeding of swill (left overs) or alternatively such should be cooked for at least an hour to ensure deactivation of the virus
Avoid buying pigs of unknown origin and/or disease status a this is an easy way of introducing ASF into an otherwise healthy pig herd. 
Avoid visiting other farmers who own pigs or individuals who might have come into contact with other pigs