There are currently 208 active outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease across five provinces. Quarantine measures are still in place in the Eastern Cape, continuous monitoring has been lifted in Limpopo, and the Western and Northern Cape remain free of the disease.

Deur Nico van Burick, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad

Red Meat Industry Services’ (RMIS) latest update on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the country notes that the continued spread of FMD has largely been driven by the uncontrolled and often illegal movement of livestock.

Active outbreaks have been reported in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, North West, the Free State, Gauteng and Mpumalanga – the RMIS platform provides an up-to-date overview of affected areas. The organisation says that by staying informed about active outbreaks, livestock owners can make better management decisions and reduce the risk of exposure to the virus.

Identification systems such as the RMIS Traceability Platform are developing rapidly and play a crucial role in managing the movement of animals. Livestock owners are strongly encouraged to register. Some feedlot operators have already decided to buy cattle only from suppliers registered on the RMIS platform and with a valid geolocation number (GLN).

According to the RMIS report, the ministerial task team established after the FMD indaba in July has prioritised vaccine procurement. The team – consisting of 10 state veterinarians and 14 nominated veterinarians from the industry, including experts from livestock organisations and academic institutions – have been meeting regularly over the past month.

Also read: Foot-and-mouth disease and desperate farmers: Vaccination holds the key

The Botswana Vaccine Institute is currently the only manufacturer of FMD vaccines in Southern Africa. In agreement with the Department of Agriculture, RMIS is coordinating the purchase of vaccines on behalf of livestock owners to either use immediately or keep in reserve as an “insurance” against potential outbreaks, primarily at feedlots. A total of 644 000 doses have been secured, which will be stored at Onderstepoort Biological Products.

The task team has also begun discussions on applying zone control, with the goal of declaring certain regions of South Africa as “free from foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination” (such as the Western Cape and Northern Cape), and others as “free with vaccination” (such as the Eastern Cape).

The RMIS report notes that its information is derived from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and provincial reports, and may differ slightly from official government figures due to reporting timelines.

The disease management area (DMA) in Limpopo was lifted in June 2025 after all outbreaks were resolved and closed with the WOAH in August 2023.

In the Eastern Cape, the outbreak that began in April 2024 was resolved, and the DMA was lifted in June 2025. Quarantine measures remain in place for previously infected farms and those where animals were vaccinated. A second outbreak near East London is being managed through controlled slaughter-out.

Free State

In the Free State, towns with confirmed outbreaks are Kroonstad (10), Viljoenskroon (19), Deneysville (1), Cornelia/Frankfort (7), Heilbron (2), Edenville (2), Odendaalsrus (1) and Sasolburg (1).

According to the RMIS report, the outbreaks in Viljoenskroon are of concern due to a lack of cooperation from farmers in the district, which is hindering control efforts. The police are assisting state veterinarians in the area to manage animal movement.

Quarantine was lifted on seven farms in the Kroonstad area after no circulating virus was detected. Vaccination is only carried out where deemed necessary, such as at feedlots in Edenville. No spillover has been detected from the affected feedlots.

North West

Outbreaks were first identified in June 2025, and to date 35 have been confirmed – in Brits (1), Orkney (2), Rustenburg (4), Tosca (1) and Ventersdorp (27).

Cattle in feedlots in the Ventersdorp area have been successfully vaccinated, but some communal farmers are reluctant to have their herds vaccinated, and many semi-formal auction sites still fail to comply fully with biosecurity protocols.

Also read: ‘Beware of the FMD fatigue trap’ – top young dairy farmer

Gauteng

Gauteng currently has 73 open outbreaks, in Ekurhuleni (11), Emfuleni/Vanderbijlpark (2), Johannesburg (4), Lesedi/Heidelberg (25), Merafong (2), Midvaal (14), Mogale (9), Tshwane (3) and Westonaria (3). Most involve communal peri-urban livestock owners’ cattle.

Karan Feedlot in Lesedi has reported new cases within this week and will begin vaccinating as soon as more doses become available. The source of this “new” outbreak is under investigation.

Mpumalanga

Since June, 14 outbreaks have been reported in the western part of the province, in Dipaleseng/Balfour (1), Emakhazeni/Belfast (1), Govan Mbeki/Secunda (4), Steve Tshwete/Middelburg (1), Thembisile/Kwaggafontein (1), and Victor Khanye/Delmas (6).

KwaZulu-Natal

Since the start of the FMD outbreaks in 2021, 200 outbreaks have been reported in KwaZulu-Natal, of which 19 have been resolved. So far in 2025, 43 new outbreaks have been confirmed – in uMnambithi (19), Dundee (7), Newcastle (9) and uMshwathi/Pietermaritzburg (8) – and the original DMA had to be expanded.