As the ongoing spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) threatens to engulf the whole of KwaZulu-Natal, the mayor of the uMngeni Local Municipality is appealing for police and even army resources to be called in urgently to hopefully stem this devastating tide before it is too late.
By Lloyd Phillips, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
The mayor of the uMngeni Local Municipality (uMngeni) in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands has called on Thami Ntuli, the premier of the province, and on Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa, the province’s MEC for agriculture and rural development, “to urgently intervene as the foot-and-mouth disease [FMD] outbreak in the province continues to worsen”.
Chris Pappas leads the only municipality led by the Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal. His plea comes in the wake of suspected, yet unconfirmed, reports of FMD moving northwards towards uMngeni from the southern parts of the province.
In the south, the nearest suspected FMD outbreak is now in the Richmond district, approximately 44km as the crow flies from the municipality’s main town, Howick. The FMD outbreak identified about five months ago in the province’s Albert Falls district is 45km as the crow flies from Howick.
A statement by uMngeni says: “These newly affected areas [in the south] lie dangerously close to major dairy-producing districts such as Creighton, Mooi River and Howick that are home to some of KwaZulu-Natal’s most productive herds.”
Pappas warns that if FMD reaches these areas, KwaZulu-Natal could face catastrophic losses amounting to hundreds of millions of rands. Jobs, livelihoods and food security will all be in jeopardy.
African Farming reported recently that a dairy farm in the Creighton district is likely to have been infected with FMD. Sources there say that dairy cattle on the farm are showing distinctive symptoms of this disease, although the results of blood tests are required to confirm infection. Unlike beef cattle, which in most instances recover from FMD without any significant impacts, dairy cattle can experience such severe pain from this viral disease that they need to be euthanised.
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Festive Season Creates Escalated Risk
“We cannot afford delays or half-measures. Urgent containment is essential. With the festive season approaching, the risk of rapid transmission increases dramatically,” says Pappas.
He explains that the festive season is marked by significantly increased transportation of livestock for cultural, commercial and social purposes.
African Farming has consistently reported that the illegal transport of livestock without permissions and permits from state animal health authorities is considered the greatest contributor to the ongoing spread of FMD.
Pappas is appealing to the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government to request immediate support from the South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force to help establish roadblocks, monitor livestock movements and enforce quarantine measures.
He continues: “Without strong and coordinated interventions, the outbreak will spread faster than we can contain it.”
Whether Pappas’s plea will bear fruit remains to be seen. Since May 2025, the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union has repeatedly called on the province’s government to declare FMD a provincial disaster. These calls have not been successful to date.
Pappas emphasises that KwaZulu-Natal’s agricultural sector is already under pressure and warns that failure to act swiftly on FMD could trigger long-term economic damage across the province.
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