16 Feb 2026

Farmers committees in the border villages of Sikwane and Mabalane have joined forces with government to fight the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). Farmers have teamed up to repair the borderline fence to deter any cross-border movement of animals between the Botswana and South Africa. 

A team led by Mmathubudukwane Police Station Commander in collaboration with other government departments has also been established to carry out patrols on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

In an interview, Sikwane farmer’s committee chairperson Mr Jeffrey Tlhowe said they were compelled to act swiftly and complement’s government efforts to stop FMD spillage into Botswana.

“The objective is to safeguard the borderline and make sure Botswana animals do not cross into the FMD red zone in South Africa,” he said.

He commended farmers for joining efforts with the government to fight the Foot and Mouth Disease, which he reiterated, had the potential to destroy the livelihoods of the farming community if due care and containment measures were not taken.

For his part, the youthful Emmanuel Kgaswe from Mabalane said the borderline was not in a good shape to control Foot and Mouth Disease.  As such, together with the Department of Veterinary Services, farmers have collaborated to identify and fix certain areas that needed attention along the Botswana/South Africa border.

 “Initially we started on the side of the Sikwane border and made some improvements through fence erection but we were stopped by the increase of water in the river,’’ he said adding that a decision was then taken to focus on the Mabalane borderline.

The Chief Technical Officer with the veterinary service, Mr Moagi Teseletso, lauded farmers and communities of the river villages for their positive response.

Mr Teseletso said a physical borderline was available from Sikwane to Tlokweng while from Sikwane to Palla Camp near Ramotlabaki and in the absence of a physical border line, the river which was currently flowing helped hinder animals from crossing to and from South Africa.

He said government had taken a decision that animals that cross the border from South Africa into Botswana would be immediately slaughtered, burned and buried, and farmers would be compensated P700 for a cow, and P200 for a goat. Mr Teseletso further said last week Thursday, they received a report from Palla Camp that four cows entered into Botswana and the department moved with speed to destroy the said animals.

However, he was concerned that certain farmers do not adhere to the strict interventions by the government to curb disease spread, something he said could have negative rippling effects on the cattle industry if left unabated.

 For instance, he said one farmer recently slaughtered an animal for domestic use against established protocols and fortunately, the officials received a tip-off from concerned citizens and the meat of the animal was immediately disposed as per procedure.

To date, the department of veterinary services has not recorded a single case of FMD and it is Mr Teseletso’s prayer that the situation remains so for the sake of the farmer and the economy of the country.

He appeals to Botswana, especially the farming community, to adhere to the restrictions put in place by the government to ensure the country triumphs in the fight against Foot and Mouth Disease. 

Since the report of cases of FMD in South Africa, the government has put measures in place to curb the spread of the disease into Botswana.

Stoppage of the movement of cloven hoofed animals and prohibition of their slaughter was among the foremost decisions taken to immediately to curb disease spread. In order to further reinforce efforts towards containment of the disease, farmers converged in Mabalane village last Thursday to repair the border fence between Botswana and South Africa. ENDS