23 Apr 2026

When the Syrian commander Naaman was told to wash in the Jordan River to cure his leprosy, his greatest obstacle was not the disease, but it was his pride in refusing a simple instruction.T

Today, Batswana find themselves in a similar position. As Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) threatens the nation’s agricultural lifeline, acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti is adamant that the cure lies not in complex miracles, but in humble and disciplined adherence to movement protocols and reporting procedures.

Devastated by reports that some farmers seemed to be trying to hide their livestock with signs of disease, Dr Dikoloti told a packed kgotla meeting in Ramotswa on Tuesday that Batswana should report signs of FMD without any compromise.

“Lesang go baya FMD botsetsi, a re reetseng ditaelo tsa ba matlhoko a leruo or else we will not win this fight,” he stressed.

As the disease continues to spread in the most sacred areas of agriculture that have never recorded FMD in the country’s history, farmers look devastated and anxiety is taking a heavy toll on them. 

Zone 11 has long been the breadbasket of the country, with most of its cattle earmarked for the lucrative European Union (EU) market. 

At the time FMD was detected, more than 12 000 cattle had been slaughtered and 95 per cent were earmarked for export to the EU.

“As of now, this meat has now been downgraded and this calls for everyone’s effort because we still look up to the EU market,” Dr Dikoloti said, noting that a beef export order worth P200 million had been placed by the EU market.

With these new cases reported mid-April, government has intensified efforts to contain the spread through vaccinating animals in containment zones to protect livestock and support the country’s agricultural sector.

Dr Dikoloti told Balete that agriculture officials had now resorted to the containment of FMD in the infected zone as the most effective way to attack the disease head-on by closing it up in affected areas.

He said veterinary officials had also rolled out vaccines in affected and high-risk areas as part of a coordinated response to limit the spread of the highly contagious disease.

So far, Goodhope has recorded a total of 6 294 vaccinated animals, while 4 225 cattle have been vaccinated at Lobatse ranches and another 3 432 vaccinated animals were recorded during Goodhope surveillance.

For many who were not knowledgeable about FMD, some asked for vaccines to protect their livestock before the spread reached their farms, little knowing that vaccinated animals are stamped, downgraded and no longer lucrative for the most envied EU market.

While some Balete were of the view that Zone 11 should be subdivided for easy management, others were concerned about territorial lines.

The acting minister assured them that consultations for rezoning would commence with the primary purpose of fighting FMD and would not allow for any mischievous intentions to ensue other than controlling future animal diseases.

Farmers Committee chairperson, Mr Ben Tingwane was of the view that their area had been neglected and that the spread should have been controlled long ago since the outbreak of FMD in the northern part of the country. 

Another speaker, Mr Thekiso Sorinyane, suggested that FMD should be given attention in the same magnitude that COVID-19 was responded to, adding that it was high time agricultural officials investigated or researched other ways that contributed to the spread since the disease had reached enclosed areas such as the Ramatlabana National Artificial Insemination Centre.

Some farmers called for intensified efforts to resuscitate cordon fences and introduce picketers who would man gates coming into and out of zones 24/7. 

In her welcome remarks, Kgosi Mosadi Seboko said with the diamond sector experiencing market challenges, Batswana should join hands against FMD as agriculture was the only lifeline of Botswana that could not be exposed to further risks.

Kgosi Mosadi encouraged Balete to support initiatives to fix the border fence shared by Botswana and South Africa.

“I also want to encourage all of us to normalise disinfecting all entry areas and where possible, we should guard against those who enter on ungazetted points,” she said.

FMD coordinator, Dr Odireleng Thololwane called on all Batswana to take responsibility, saying FMD affected cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. 

Dr Thololwane told the meeting that while the disease did not pose direct threat to human health, outbreaks can have serious consequences for farmers, food security and trade, resulting in poverty. 

He said FMD was highly contagious, therefore farmers and Batswana should be each other’s keeper in the fight to safeguard the country from being ‘Red.’

Furthermore, he said the ministry was working tirelessly to compartmentalise infected areas to control the spread and urged farmers to cooperate with officials.

Gamalete MP, Mr Boniface Mabeo also appealed to the community to stand together and stop pointing fingers at each other, noting that the fight against FMD called for concerted efforts.

So far, containment zones include 4b, 5, 8, 6A, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13. In addition to the recently reported cases at the Ramatlabana Artificial Insemination Centre, cases have been detected in Papatlo, Ramatlabana village and areas in Borolong such as Bethele, Phihetswana and some surrounding ranches. ENDS