According to the National Department of Agriculture’s records, a total of 255 foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) cases were reported in the country between 1 January and 31 July 2025.
By Alani Janeke, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
The number of active cases stands at 236, while 19 have been resolved so far this year. According to the latest report compiled by the Directorate of Animal Health at the Department of Agriculture, most incidents are still reported in KwaZulu-Natal, with the 19 resolved cases recorded in this province.
The disease control area in KwaZulu-Natal has been adjusted several times since 2021 in terms of high-risk areas. A further expansion of this area was gazetted on 17 March 2025. According to the report, 12 cases have since been identified outside the control area.
Infected locations outside the control area are quarantined like locations within the control area until the disease is eradicated. Serological and clinical tests are still being conducted in all affected areas to ensure early detection of the disease and to determine the absence of the disease in previously affected areas. Vaccination is ongoing at dip tanks, feedlots and around infected game reserves.
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Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West and the Free State
In Gauteng, 41 properties are affected by outbreaks of the disease. The properties include feedlots, communal livestock farms, cattle farms and dairy farms. All the properties are under quarantine and vaccinations are being conducted in the affected areas to try to prevent the spread of the virus.
During June, two cases of the disease were reported in the area of the Dipaleseng Local Municipality in western Mpumalanga. These cases could be directly linked to cases in Gauteng. In July, two more cases were reported in the same area. These cases brought the total number of cases for Mpumalanga this year to five.
Surveillance for the occurrence of the disease has been intensified in the North West, with 13 cases reported there in June. The properties affected in this province include cattle farms and communal holdings.
The number of incidents in the Free State stands at two. The first was reported on a commercial cattle farm in the Moqhaka municipal area. The second incident was confirmed in the Metsimaholo municipal area, and this incident is linked to a case at a feedlot in Gauteng. The affected properties have been placed under quarantine. As a precautionary measure, properties in the immediate vicinity have also been placed under quarantine while clinical and serological observation is being conducted.
