The ||Kharas region is facing a deepening agricultural crisis after authorities confirmed another 79 cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) across 11 farms on Friday. The latest figures were announced by Minister of Agriculture Inge Zaamwani on Saturday evening, highlighting the escalating struggle to contain the highly contagious virus.
According to the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS), the results came following a massive testing drive in which 531 samples were processed in a single day. Laboratory analysis identified the strain as SAT-1, a virus variant genetically similar to those recently documented in neighboring South Africa and Botswana.
While the outbreak remains localized for now, the geographical footprint of the virus is expanding. Minister Zaamwani offered a glimmer of hope by confirming that, based on current epidemiological evidence, the infection has not yet breached the borders of the ||Kharas region. However, she warned that the situation remains precarious. “We are seeing the disease confirmed across multiple sites, and the risk of spread via livestock movement remains our primary concern,” Zaamwani stated. “Farmers must remain hyper-vigilant and strictly adhere to movement restrictions to prevent this from reaching other regions.”
The scale of the government’s response has been significant. Since the initial outbreak was officially declared on September 23, veterinary teams have conducted intensive inspections of 15,000 animals across 61 farms. The effort is showing no signs of slowing down, with the ministry aiming to clear another 15 farms by Monday to establish the full extent of the viral spread.
The government has issued a stern directive to local farmers: refrain from taking independent action. Minister Zaamwani explicitly cautioned against vaccinating livestock or attempting to move animals without direct oversight and authorization from the DVS. Unauthorized movement is seen as the greatest threat to controlling the outbreak, as it could bypass containment zones and trigger a nationwide agricultural shutdown.
Addressing the potential for drastic culling measures, the minister acknowledged the severe economic and emotional toll such actions would take on farming families. “We recognise that the potential destruction of livestock may have serious consequences for affected farmers,” Zaamwani said. “Nevertheless, these interventions must be assessed in the context of protecting the wider livestock population.”
For now, the ministry remains in a race against time, prioritizing surveillance and containment to protect the integrity of the national herd. As the DVS pushes further into the region, farmers are being urged to report any suspicious clinical signs in their cattle immediately, as the window to prevent a wider catastrophe continues to narrow. All stakeholders are awaiting further directives as the ministry prepares its next phase of containment operations.
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